The Little Girl
by lisac1965
Summary: Alien technology reduces Seven's memories to those of the pre-assimilated Annika Hansen. A/N: Takes place in the unaltered time-line. It is Voyager's ninth year in the Delta Quadrant, Harry Kim is now a Lieutenant, and Chakotay and Seven are married.
1. Chapter 1

**The Little Girl**

Seven of Nine carefully scanned the dilythium ore she had mined with the away team. She was in the aft section of the _Delta Flyer_ with ore samples scattered around on an examination table, categorized by the planet each sample was from. On one of the planets they had mined in this alien star system, Seven had detected what she thought might be some sort of contaminant in the ore with her Borg enhanced tricorder, although conventional devices had detected nothing in it.

Seven turned the readings over in her mind, accessing her Borg enhanced memory files, comparing her readings to formulas and composites of other matter to determine what this substance could be inside this ore. Another scan. Another assessment of readings. More processing of information in her enhanced mind. Then, she hit the comm. badge on her standard issue blue tunic. "Seven of Nine to the Captain."

"Go ahead," Janeway answered from the helm, accompanied by her Vulcan security chief, Lt. Commander Tuvok, and opps. officer, Lieutenant Harry Kim, seated at their respective stations.

"I don't have a precise assessment of the foreign compounds in the ore. The closest I can assess is that it's a mineral identical to copper, but with no signs of oxidation or corrosion. I suggest Lieutenant Torres and I run tests on it when we return to _Voyager_, to see if it has the same conductive properties."

"Agreed," Janeway answered. "What about the other samples?"

"So far, they appear to be pure dilythium. But I'll need to examine more samples to be sure."

"Understood. Janeway, out." Then, the Captain turned her attention to security. "Any unwanted visitors yet, Commander?"

"None, Captain," Tuvok answered. The _Flyer _had passed through what appeared to be some sort of energy field; a type of grid which encompassed the entire region. Assuming it was meant to alert the inhabitants in this region of intruders, Janeway ordered scans to detect if they would be confronted and forced to leave. But, since no such threat was detected, Janeway chose to proceed with the mission while maintaining high security alert. They were in need of dilythium and weren't sure how long it would be before finding another supply. No alien life-signs had been detected, either. Janeway figured this system was either abandoned, or perhaps there was a civilization that was protected from sensors. Either way, no threat had met them thus far.

"We are approaching the grid," Tuvok announced.

"I see it," Janeway acknowledged.

"Captain," said Kim in alarm, "the energy signature appears to be a lot stronger on this side then it was coming in. About three times the strength."

"That would suggest that the grid was meant to detect intruders going out rather than coming in," mused Tuvok.

"But, that doesn't make any sense," said Janeway. "Why would anyone go through all this trouble to build something to counter intruders who had already invaded their territory and were leaving it?"

"Or, perhaps, it was meant to serve another purpose," Tuvok concluded.

"Well, whatever it's for, I prefer not to find out. Tuvok, bring shields to maximum. I'm going to full warp!"

"Aye, Captain," acknowledged Tuvok.

"Should we have Seven come up here, Captain?" asked Harry.

"I don't see any reason to at the moment," said Janeway. "I want her to gather as much data on that dilythium as possible. If we run into any problems, I'll raise her."

"We're less than fifteen seconds away, Captain," Tuvok announced. "Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

"Keep those scans going, just in case!"

"...three, two, one!"

The shuttle passed effortlessly through the grid, and so far, there was still no sign of alien ships. Janeway let out a sigh of relief. Then, she heard Harry's fist pound once on his console, cursing.

"Report, Mr. Kim!"

"Whatever that thing was, Captain, it wiped our memory files."

Tuvok and Janeway both checked files from their respective consoles. "Confirmed, Captain," Tuvok reported. "All ship's files have been deleted."

"Apparently, that grid was a means of preventing outsiders from transporting information out of their space without endangering lives in a confrontation," Janeway observed. "Even _I_ have to admit, that's quite ingenious!"

"Our tricorder data's gone too, Captain," Harry reported after checking his own tricorder.

The Captain let out a frustrated sigh, cursing. Seven's dilythium scans would have been deleted as well. She would have to examine the ore all over again.

"Janeway to Seven of Nine." There was no answer. "Seven of Nine, respond!" Still, silence. "Harry, get up here!"

"Yes, ma'am," said Harry as he obediently took the helm, while Janeway began making her way to the aft section. "Tuvok, maintain scans, just in case. Let me know if anything turns up."

"Yes, Captain."

Janeway descended the steps into the aft section and looked around. Seven wasn't there. "Seven... Seven?" No response. "Computer, is Seven of Nine still on board?"

"_Affirmative,"_ the computer answered.

"Seven, where are you?" Janeway knew the computer would have given her the same answer if only Seven's comm. badge was still on board. But, Seven couldn't possibly be anywhere else... could she?

As Janeway considered these thoughts, she noticed Seven's tricorder, discarded on the deck, right next to the exam table. It was unlike Seven to just leave anything lying there. Something was definitely wrong!

Janeway walked over and crouched down to pick up the tricorder, opened it, and saw that it had, in fact, been deleted. She then closed it and was about to stand up when her eye caught- at last- Seven of Nine, hiding under the table. Hiding? Yes. She sat in a fetal position, shaking, eyes wide with fright. "Seven, what's wrong?" Janeway asked in concern.

To the Captain's dismay, Seven backed away from her, maintaining her cowering position. She opened her mouth to speak, but it took a moment for the words to come out. "Wha... why... why you calling me that?"

It was Seven's voice, but it sounded more juvenile than normal, as if she were a little girl and not a grown woman. Assuming that she might be suffering from some sort of malfunction, Janeway figured it would be in Seven's best interest to play along. "I'm sorry. I must have mistaken you for someone else," Janeway said as gently and reassuringly as she could. "What _is _your name?"

"A... Annika. Annika Hansen."

Annika Hansen? Her human identity? How was this possible? Seven had little memory of her human life! Janeway tried to figure all this out when her eyes wandered down to the tricorder she was still holding. The grid! Had it somehow erased Seven's memories as well? Janeway had to assume it was now Annika- not Seven- that she needed to help.

"I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation star-ship, _Voyager_. You're on board one of our shuttles; the _Delta Flyer_. We're on our way back to my ship."

Annika's eyes wandered slightly before focusing back on the Captain. "H... how'd I get here?"

"It's a long story," Janeway answered, not knowing how else to respond to that perplexing question. "But for now, you'll have to trust me. I want to help you. Come on," Janeway said as she reached underneath the table. But Annika scrambled out on the other side with the table now between them.

"The Borg," Annika said in alarm. "The _Borg_!"

"There are no Borg in this sector," Janeway assured her. "I know you're frightened, but I promise you, you're perfectly safe."

"I was on the _cube!_ Mama and Papa, too. The Borg... the Borg... assimi..." She couldn't finish before sobs seized her. Janeway remembered Seven once telling her she had watched her parents being assimilated and how traumatizing it was. Apparently, that same, horrifying experience was now her most recent memory.

Janeway rounded the table towards Annika and put an arm around her shoulders in an attempt to sooth her. "I'm sorry for what happened to your parents. But, you're with us now. I promise, you are not alone."

Annika regarded her tearfully; pleadingly. "The _Raven?_"

"It's thousands of light years behind us."

"But," Janeway flinched when Annika grabbed her by the tunic, nearly shaking her in desperation, "we have to find them!"

The Captain held Annika by the shoulders, looking her in the eye. "I'm sorry, Annika. But I'm afraid that isn't possible."

"_No_," she screamed, "we have to _find_ them!" Just then, Annika broke from her, bolted to one of the consoles, and began to push buttons. Janeway attempted to pull her away, but Seven's enhanced body was too strong. The Captain had no choice but to restrain her by holding an arm behind her back.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that. You could cause the shuttle to malfunction. It puts us at risk. I need you to calm down. You have to trust me!"

"Let me go... let me _go_!" Annika kept screaming those words as Janeway kept her restraint on her, trying to get her to settle down. Just then, Tuvok was entering the aft section, obviously having been alerted by whatever Annika had done with the controls. Feeling threatened and out-numbered, Annika stomped hard on the Captain's foot, causing Janeway to loosen her grip on her.

"Stop her," Janeway ordered as Annika dashed to another console. But, the order proved unnecessary as Tuvok was already behind her; pulling her away and subduing her with a pinch, causing her to fall unconscious into his strong arms. Janeway then quickly deployed the bio-bed for Tuvok to lay Seven on.

Tuvok gave Janeway an inquisitive look, to which she answered; "Apparently, that grid just had an unforeseen casualty!"


	2. Chapter 2

"You're lucky standard issue boots are made of sturdy material, Captain," the Doctor said as he repaired Janeway's bruised and sore foot. "Knowing Seven's enhanced physiology, she could've broken you foot."

"I appreciate your concern, Doctor," said Janeway as she put her sock and boot back on. "But, right now, I'm more concerned about your patient over there," she said, indicating the surgical bay where Seven lay on a bio-bed, encased by its scanning unit.

"Scans should be completed momentarily, Captain," said the Doctor as he made his way to the console to check the results.

Chakotay walked in just then and noticed his wife unconscious on the bio-bed. "How is she?" he asked the Doctor, worriedly. "What's wrong with her?"

"Physically, she's fine," the Doctor answered, matter-of-factually. "Cognitively, however, is another matter."

"The region was protected by an energy grid that deleted our files when we left it," informed the Captain.

"Unfortunately," the Doctor added, "It appears to have had the same effect on you wife's memory files."

"What are you talking about, Doctor?" asked Chakotay, perplexed.

"I've run complete scans, Commander," the Doctor answered, showing him the results on the monitor's display. "All of the memory files in her cortical array have been erased."

Chakotay looked over at Seven, then back at the Doctor with a frustrated sigh. "What about her organic memory functions?"

"Her hippocampus appears to be intact," the Doctor answered. "But, the sudden loss seems to have put her memory engrams into a state of shock."

"Then, how was she able to remember who she was before she was assimilated?" the Captain asked.

"Her cortical implants work in tandem with her own brain functions," the Doctor explained. "So, only the memories she acquired from the time she was assimilated would have been effected."

"Makes sense," Janeway concluded.

"What are her chances of getting her memories back?" asked Chakotay, anxiously.

"It's hard to say. I won't know until I've run a complete diagnostic. I intend to keep her here overnight, so I can better monitor her subconscious neural activity. But, I'm optimistic, since there seems to be no sign of brain damage."

"Can I speak with her, Doctor?" asked Chakotay.

The Doctor gave Janeway a disconcerting look before returning his attention to Chakotay. "I'm sorry, Commander, but I'm afraid you'll have to let the Captain talk to her first..."

"She's my _wife_," Chakotay argued, cutting him off, clearly not understanding the extent of Seven's condition.

"Yes, she is, from _your_ perspective," the Doctor attempted to explain. "But, from _her _perspective, she is a traumatized six-year-old who just lost her parents and has suddenly been displaced. We need to treat this situation as if we had just rescued a stranger, because- in essence- that's just what we've done."

"I was once exposed to her memories, remember? I know better than anyone else what she's going through," Chakotay said tersely.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Commander."

"Doctor, could you excuse us for a minute?"

"Of course, Captain." The Doctor then stepped aside to give Janeway a few minutes to explain the situation to Chakotay.

"I realize this is difficult for you. But, you have to understand, Seven has _no memory_ of her time with the Borg, or us- not to mention her relationship with you. And you didn't see what happened on the _Flyer_, either. When she realized she had lost her parents, she went into complete hysteria- going at the controls, putting us at risk; I had to restrain her until Tuvok came in and pinched her unconscious. Now, just give me a few minutes to speak with her- help her understand what's going on. Then, I'll let you take over when she's ready. Okay?"

Chakotay stared at his Captain in disbelief. It couldn't be _that_ serious, could it? She _had_ to know who he was! She was still in there, somewhere, wasn't she? Nevertheless, Chakotay figured he just wasn't going to win this one. So, reluctantly, he conceded.

"Doctor, mind if I use your replicator? I think I have an idea how I can connect with her."

"Of course, Commander."

While Chakotay made his way to the replicator, the Doctor deactivated the bio-scanners- which descended into their respective cambers in the bio-bed, picked up a hypo-spray, and motioned the Captain to the other side of the bio-bed, in case she needed to help restrain Annika if she decided to be uncooperative.

The Doctor administered the hypo-spray and Annika's eyes fluttered- then flew open as she abruptly sat up. "Papa..!"

"Try and relax," the Doctor said as he put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. Your safe here."

Annika looked skittishly around, disoriented. "Where am I?"

"You're in sickbay, on board my ship," explained the Captain.

"I... I have to get out of here," said Annika, anxiously. "I have to find my parents!" She attempted to leave the bio-bed, but the Doctor and Janeway managed to hinder her escape. Still, she kept struggling. "Let me _go_... I have to _find_ them... _let me go_..!

"Annika!" the Doctor snapped when he managed to hold her by both arms, finally getting her attention. Then, continued in a more reasonable yet authoritative tone. "I'm sorry for what you're going through, but fighting us isn't going to accomplish anything. It is important that you calm down and give the Captain a chance to explain to you what's going on. If you continue to resist and try to leave sickbay, I will have to sedate you. Do you understand?" Annika wasn't exactly sure what a _sedate_ was, but figured it was something she wouldn't like. So, defeated, she acquiesced.

"She's all yours, Captain."

"Thank you, Doctor." Janeway then took a seat next to Annika on the bio-bed, giving Annika a moment to get used to her presence before speaking.

"I understand what you're going through. I know this has been a very difficult day for you. If it were possible for us to find your parents, I would have my crew start searching for them in a nanosecond. But, the galaxy is a very, very big place, and your parents could be anywhere. And searching for them would put you and this entire crew in constant danger of being assimilated. Your parents are only two out of billions of drones out there. I know this is difficult for you to understand, and even harder for you to accept. But, finding them would be impossible. Please, try to understand."

Janeway paused briefly to give Annika a chance to absorb what she had told her. Then, after about a minute or so, Annika turned to her, regarding her forlornly, trembling, eyes welling again. "I'm never gonna see them again?"

Janeway regarded her, sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

Once again, tears rolled down Annika's cheeks. "No," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "No... it's not true... it's _not true_..."

"I'm so sorry."

"_No._.." Annika collapsed against Janeway, sobbing. Janeway put her arms around her to comfort her as she bewailed her loss.

Chakotay looked on from just a few meters away, wishing with every fiber of his being that it were him- not his Captain- consoling Seven- or rather, Annika. As if in answer to his thoughts, the Doctor said, "Don't worry, Commander. You'll have your turn soon enough."

"How long before we can fill her in on her history- with us, I mean?" Chakotay asked.

The Doctor, knowing how delicate the situation was, gave it some thought before answering. "We'll see how she is in the morning. Right now, she needs time to absorb what she's been through today. But, I would like us to start working on trying to jog her memories as soon as possible."

The two men waited patiently for several more minutes until Annika managed to calm herself just enough for the Captain to motion Chakotay to join them.

"Annika, this is Commander Chakotay, our First Officer. He will be helping you to adjust. Alright?" It took Annika a moment before nodding to the Captain, who then gave a nod to Chakotay before departing to speak with the Doctor herself.

Annika just sat there, sniffling, looking off at nothing in particular, as Chakotay stood there, awkwardly in front of her, hands behind his back and at a loss of what to say. She looked up at him, momentarily, face red and tear-streaked, eyes glassy; then, stared off into space again.

Chakotay figured Annika had already been given the formal introduction and decided to go right to his plan. "I have something for you I thought might help you feel better."

She looked up at him, expectantly. "What?" she squeaked. He smiled, slightly, as he presented her with a yellow fleece blanket. "My blankie!" she exclaimed as she snatched it from him and held it close to her.

"Not exactly," Chakotay admitted as he took a seat next to her. "I replicated it for you."

"But, it looks just like my blankie," she said looking at it.

"Did your blankie have your name on it?" Chakotay showed her the corner of the blanket which did- in fact- have the name, _Annika_, sewn into it.

"Oh," she said as she looked at it, then at him. "Thank you, mister..."

"Chakotay."

"Chakody." The First Officer chuckled at the mispronunciation of his name, and decided to give her a little help.

"Cha..."

"Cha..."

"...ko..."

"...ko..."

"...tay..."

"...tay..."

"Chakotay."

"Chakody!"

"Close enough," Chakotay admitted, giggling.

The two sat there, talking, for over two hours; about her parents and his family; about their long journey through the Delta Quadrant; about how much she missed her "auntie Rene" and hoped she'd see her again... until the Doctor insisted it was time for Annika to get a good night's sleep, so she can be well rested for breakfast with the Commander in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ah, good. You're awake!" the Doctor chirped when he saw his bewildered patient sitting up on the bio-bed. "I trust you've had a good night's sleep."

But, Annika didn't seem to notice him. She was fixated, instead, on her hand- her Borg hand- as if noticing it for the first time. Given the turmoil she had experienced the day before, that would have been no surprise.

"Fascinating piece on technology, wouldn't you agree?" he said in an attempt to put a positive spin on her otherwise grim discovery.

But, again, she did not acknowledge him. She just sat there, staring at her hand, turning it in front of her face. The Doctor watched, hoping her taut expression was that of fascination and not of dismay. Given the fact that she had watched her parents study the Borg for three years, she had to have been aware that this was Borg technology she was looking at.

She began to examine the metal with her other hand; touching it. Tracing it. Then, she pushed up the sleeve of her hospital gown to see where the metal was going. What she saw made the color drain from her face. The metal was embedded in scarred and calloused skin just past her wrist. It looked as if her hand had been cut off, fitted with this metal, and re-attached. She then ran her hand up her arm to her shoulder, and then her chest; then, grabbed her wrist with a sharp gasp. She looked up at the Doctor in disbelief. "My hand?"

Clearly, she was looking to him to confirm that it was, in fact, her own hand that had been so mercilessly violated. "Yes," he answered, sympathetically, "_your_ hand."

She examined it for a few more seconds before making another discovery when her eyes wandered down to her chest. Not a Borg implant this time, but rather, the result of growing into womanhood. Two perfect orbs, protruding from her chest. Her hands quickly flew to them to check and see if they were really there and began to caress them, purely out of curiosity and bewilderment. Her hands then moved up to her collar and pulled it forward to take a peek. Then, she quickly closed it again, looking straight ahead, gasping, eyes bugging. Then, took another peek, resulting in the same, shocked response. Then, took a slightly longer look. Then, looked up bashfully at the Doctor, who at this point was desperately trying to keep his composure, utterly amused by her behavior. "Yes," he said in answer to her unspoken question in a tone somewhat higher than he had intended, "them, too."

As he turned to pick up his medical tricorder, Annika looked over the edge of her bio-bed, wanting to get down so she could see what the Doctor was doing. The floor looked very far down. So, she inched her way off with caution. As the Doctor was observing her, he noticed her landing in a lunged position as if trying to cushion herself. Then, she straightened her legs and leaned momentarily on the bio-bed before standing to her full height, looking around, clearly surprised at how tall she was.

Annika walked up to the Doctor as he approached her. "What's that?" she asked, referring to the device he was holding.

"It's a medical tricorder," he answered. "I'm going to use it to examine you."

"Is something wrong with me?" she asked as the Doctor scanned her.

But, he held off answering her until his scans were completed. "You appear to be physically fit," he replied.

"Was I in a maturation chamber?" Annika asked as she looked once again at her hands and body. "Was I assimilated? What's happened to me?"

"You don't remember?" the Doctor asked as he put away his tricorder.

She shook her head. "No."

"Can you tell me what you do remember?" he asked, hoping to get an idea of how extensive her memory loss was. But, when she averted her eyes and began to squirm, the Doctor decided not to pursue the matter just yet. "That's okay," he assured her. "You can talk about it when you're ready."

Annika saw Chakotay walk in just then and quickly tucked her cybernetic hand under her right arm, not looking the Commander in the eye. "Good morning, Doctor. Annika," Chakotay greeted, cheerfully. "And, how's our patient this morning?"

"Well as could be expected under the circumstances, Commander," the Doctor answered before Chakotay turned his attention to the patient in question.

"Hope you've got an appetite this morning. I thought I'd take you to the mess-hall for some breakfast, and then give you a tour of the ship. Sound good?" But she only gave him a week nod, still clearly trying to hid her disfigurement.

The Doctor noticed her withdrawn posture and tried to offer her some encouragement. "It's alright, Annika. You're among friends here. There's no need to hide it."

Chakotay offered her a warm smile, hoping to put her at ease. Then, she slowly, painfully, withdrew her hand and hesitantly lifted it up for Chakotay to see. "I have a Borg hand," she said in a soft, shaky voice.

Chakotay stepped closer to her and took her hand in between his hands, giving hers an affectionate squeeze. "I know," he said gently. "It's alright. We're family here. No one will judge you." Annika exhaled in relief before he continued. "Now, I need to speak with the Doctor for a minute. Stay here and wait for me, okay?"

She nodded. "Alright." The two men then retreated to the Doctor's office to talk- hopefully- out of earshot.

"So, how is she so far?" Chakotay asked.

"She's beginning to notice the changes in her physical appearance, from her height difference to her fully-formed figure. And, as you just saw, also noticed the technology in her hand. I consider that to be a good sign."

"You think she's ready for me to bring her up to speed?"

"She has been inquisitive this morning. Try to answer her questions as simply and as briefly as you can. And, try not to overwhelm her with too much information."

Chakotay nodded. "I understand."

"And, Commander," the Doctor continued, looking him square in the eye, "bare in mind that we're still dealing with a confused and grief-stricken child here, so be prepared for some emotional volatility: crying; fits of rage; insistence of having her way; even violent behavior. This isn't going to be easy, Commander. So, if you need any help at all..."

"I'll contact you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"And I would like her to come back here when you're done. I'll let you know then if I'm ready to release her."

"I hope so."

The Doctor then gave Chakotay a familial slap on the shoulder and wished him luck.

Annika was standing next to the bio-bed, holding the blanket Chakotay replicated for her the night before when he approached her. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded, but seemed indecisive about whether or not to take her blanket with her.

"Mama and Papa said blankies were only for sleepy-time," she explained.

"That's alright," Chakotay assured her. "We'll come back here and get in when we're through. The Doctor wants you back here anyway." Annika nodded again, put her blanket down on the bio-bed, and followed Chakotay out of sickbay.

"Mister Chakody," she began as they walked the corridor to the turbo-lift, "was I assimilated?"

Chakotay spun to face her, surprised that she had broached the question so soon. He knew, though, that he had to be honest with her for her to heal. "Yes, Annika," he said, remorsefully. "You were."

"Then, why don't I remember? When did it happen?"

Chakotay fumbled through his mind, trying to think of a way to explain what had happened to her. "That's... complicated. I'm not sure you'll understand if I explain it to you; but, I'll try." He took a deep breath and- unsure how to break the news to her gently- decided to get to the point. "Annika, you were assimilated over twenty years ago."

Annika stared at him for a moment in disbelief before speaking. "No," she responded, shaking her head. "No. We were on the cube _yesterday_."

"It may seem like that to you," Chakotay explained. "But, there's a reason for that."

"What?" she asked.

"Well, you know that when someone is assimilated, they have technology put into their bodies, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, some of that technology helps the brain to remember things in detail that a normal brain would not."

"A... cor-da-gal array?" Annika sounded out as best she could.

Chakotay chuckled before answering. "Cortical array. Yes." He took another deep breath and motioned her to move forward- not wanting to stand still anymore himself. "The shuttle you were on yesterday encountered something that erased all of its files." He paused to see if she understood what he was getting at. But, she clearly wasn't making the connection. So, he continued. "The same thing happened to your cortical array. The memories stored in it were deleted as well. It made you forget everything that happened to you from the time you were assimilated."

Chakotay pushed the button to summon the turbo-lift as Annika tried to make sense of what he had just told her. "I have... aaaam-nesia?" she asked, trying to sound out _amnesia_ as they stepped inside.

"Deck two. Mess-hall," he commanded the lift before answering. "I guess you could say that."

Annika stood there, trying to process this information as best she could. She still couldn't understand how it was possible for someone to forget over twenty years of their life. She had heard her parents talk about how assimilation affects the memory and how it makes people forgot who they are, and how they had compared it to amnesia. But, most of it was jargon she couldn't understand. As she thought about all this, she looked once again at herself, reminded of how different her body was. If this was- in fact- _her_ body, then it had changed, considerably. And if what this nice officer had told her was true...

Annika gasped, wide-eyed, as the realization hit her. "I'm a drone!"

"Annika..."

"I'm a _drone!_"

"Annika!" Chakotay put his hands on her shoulders to get her attention and help her calm down. "You _were_ a drone, but you're not one any more. You're human again. As human as the rest of us."

Annika looked up at him, anxiously. "Did... did I assimilate the ship?"

"You tried, But, we stopped you."

Mercifully, curiosity got the better of her again. "How?" she asked as the turbo-lift doors opened.

"With a power surge," Chakotay answered as they exited and made their way to the mess-hall. "It's how you were severed from the Collective. You've been a member of our crew ever since."

"_This_ crew?"

"Yes, _this _crew."

"When," she asked as they entered the mess-hall and made their way to the replicator.

"About six years ago."

"This doesn't look like the one we had on the _Raven_," Annika commented, referring to the replicator.

"Well, technology has changed over the years," Chakotay said before offering, "What would you like for breakfast?"

Annika thought about it for a moment. But, not in the way Chakotay was used to Seven pondering anything. Annika stood there, literally scrunching her eyes shut, trying to think very hard about what she wanted. Chakotay couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. Then, her face lit up as she made her decision.

"Can that thing make Belgium waffles with strawberries and cream? My auntie made them for me before we left Earth."

"Well," Chakotay smiled, "I can't promise it will be as good as your aunt's; but, I'll try." Chakotay then punched in the commands for her order, along with a stack of pancakes for himself. Annika bounced on her feet, clapping gleefully, as the two plates materialized. She then thanked Chakotay as he handed her her plate, and then sat down with him in a near-by booth.

"Mama and Papa always replicated cereal for breakfast," Annika recalled as she fiddled with her waffle. "Sometimes, bacon and eggs. Healthy stuff. Said auntie Rene spoiled me."

"Good morning, Commander. Seven," called a female voice next to their booth. The two looked up to see Crewman Tal Celes, who worked part-time in the mess-hall, greeting them. "Glad to see you up and around, Seven. Can I get anything for you two?"

Chakotay noticed Annika's confused expression before answering. "I'll have coffee with cream and two sugars, please." Then, he turned to his companion. "Annika, what would you like?"

Celes gasped, covering her mouth in embarrassment. "Oops, forgot." Then, whispered in Chakotay's direction, "Sorry, Commander."

"I would like some milk, please," Annika ordered. Celes then left to get them their drinks.

"That's what your Captain called me, yesterday," Annika recalled.

"What? 'Seven?'"

"Yes. Was it my... designation?"

"Yes. Seven of Nine." Annika look hard at him, clearly expecting more. Chakotay smiled before obliging her. "Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero-One."

Annika's eyes widened. Her mouth, agape in utter surprise. "Unimatrix _one_?"

"Yes," Chakotay answered as Celes brought them their drinks.

"Papa tagged Drones from unimatrix one. Said they were special. He said they worked with the Borg Queen."

"Well then, I guess that makes _you_ pretty special," Chakotay teased.

Annika picked up her glass of milk and proceeded to drink it. Then, spit out her mouthful, put the milk back down and pushed it away. "Yucky!"

Chakotay picked up the glass and noticed that it had a slight orange tint to it. The odor that emanated from it confirmed that it was some sort of spiced Bajoran dairy concoction. "Celes," Chakotay called. Mercifully enough, Celes was still within earshot.

"Yes Commander?"

"_Bovine_ milk, please."

"Oh, I am so sorry, Commander," Celes apologized, characteristically mortified. "I'll take care of that for you right away," she said as she took the glass and went over to the replicator to correct their order. Annika watched closely, making sure she got her the milk she wanted. Celes then returned with a tall glass of the familiar white liquid and gave it to Annika, who then tasted it and looked up at the Bajoran, quite pleased.

"Thank you," she said, gratefully.

"You're welcome, Sev... uh... I mean- Annika " Celes then excused herself and left them to their breakfast.

Annika looked again at Chakotay. "If I'm human again, why do I have a Borg hand?"

Chakotay saw this one coming. Thankfully, the answer was simple. "Your body became too dependent on some of your implants, so the Doctor couldn't remove them all. You wouldn't be able to use that hand without those implants."

Annika looked once again, curiously, at her hand. The technology- in fact- _was_ helping it to function. Then she looked at her other hand. Then, saw something she hadn't noticed before. A ring. A gleaming band of gold on the ring finger of her right hand. She fiddled with it for a moment. Then looked curiously at Chakotay's hands and- sure enough- saw an identical ring on his left hand. As Annika held her hand next to his to compare them, Chakotay could feel his heart pulsing in his throat.

She smiled as she pulled her hand away. "We have matching rings. Mama and papa had matching rings, too. They said they were wedding rings." Then, she made that now familiar expression of realization and asked the one question Chakotay wasn't yet ready to answer. "Are we married?"

Chakotay was already hoping he hadn't given her too much information about herself, though he had answered her questions as best he could. He had told her about her assimilation. About her memory loss. Her being freed from the Borg and becoming a member of their crew. But, how do you tell the woman you love who thinks she's only a child of six years that she's your wife!

Chakotay took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. She did ask. He had to answer her as honestly as he could. "Well... I guess you know now why I was assigned to help you."


	4. Chapter 4

"Well... I guess you know now why I was assigned to help you."

Chakotay sat there, watching her expression, unsure what to expect in response. But, she didn't seem to understand what he meant. So, he took a deep breath, preparing himself to answer her more bluntly. "Yes, we're married."

Annika sat there, looking at him as she thought about this. Then, looked down at her ring and began fiddling with it again. Then, picked up her fork and began pushing a piece of strawberry around on her waffle before eating it.

"I once asked Papa to marry me," she said, finally. "He said I was too little and that he was already married to Mama; but that one day when I grow up I would marry someone else. I told him I wanted to marry someone just like him."

Chakotay couldn't help but smile at her recollection, remembering how he had once proposed to his mother when he was a boy and got the same speech from her. "Well, I guess I'm in good company, then."

Apparently, Annika was starting to get a bit overwhelmed by her situation. She spent the remainder of breakfast fiddling with her waffle and leaving it only partially eaten- though she'd managed to polish off all the strawberries- and drunk less than half her milk before pushing her plate away.

"I'm full."

"You sure?" Chakotay asked, noting the amount of food that was left over.

Annika nodded. "Can we go now?"

"Sure," Chakotay said as he woofed down the last of his pancakes. "Let's go." They then picked up their dishes and took them to the replicator for recycling before leaving the mess-hall.

There was an awkward silence between them as they made their way to the turbo-lift and stepped inside. "Deck eight, section four," Chakotay ordered before concernedly asking, "You okay? You seem awfully quiet..."

"I'm fine," she answered quickly without looking at him.

"You sure? I know you've been through a lot these last couple of days..."

Annika spun to face him and snapped, "I said I'm fine!" She then turned away from him, arms folded and pouting. Chakotay regarded her cautiously, now reminded of just how fragile her emotional state was. She remained in that stance until the turbo-lift doors opened.

"So, where we going now?" she asked tightly as they exited.

"Your work station, astrometrics."

"As-ter..."

"Astrometrics. It's a lab you built with our opps. officer, Harry Kim." Chakotay anticipated her making another attempt to sound the word out, but she fell silent again as she and Chakotay rounded the corner and entered astrometrics.

A young cadet was at the controls. When he turned, Annika gasped and huddled closer to Chakotay, practically hugging his arm for comfort.

"It's alright, Annika," Chakotay assured her. "This is Icheb. He emerged from his maturation chamber prematurely when his cube was damaged. You rescued him and brought him here. You've been his guardian since." But, Annika remained where she was, staring at Icheb.

"I can wait outside if it will help, sir," Icheb offered.

"Annika?" Chakotay addressed to see if that was what she wanted. But, after looking at both of them and giving it some thought, she let go and slowly began to approach Icheb. She looked him over, scrutinizing him; head cocked, brow farrowed. Then, reached up to his face, prompting him to flinch. "Icheb," Chakotay said, signaling him to let her proceed.

She reached up again, but this time he let her touch him. She ran her fingers down the implant along side his nose; then, touched the scar on his forehead. "Aw," she uttered softly before letting her hand fall and lifting up the other one to show him. "I was assimilated, too," she told him. "Were your parents assimilated? Mine were. Did it hurt? I don't remember. Do you?" Icheb clearly wasn't sure what to make of her behavior. He was accustomed to her being the strong, confident one; not this helpless little girl. When he didn't answer her questions, she reached up and patted his shoulder. "It's okay," she said. "It's okay." Then, she hugged him, which Icheb clearly wasn't expecting.

"Annika," Chakotay kindly admonished, "let Icheb get back to work."

"Oh," she said, giving Icheb one last shoulder pat, "I'm sorry." She then went back over to Chakotay, while Icheb turned back to his console.

"You said I work here?" she asked.

"That's right."

"Doing what?"

"Well, you scan for and examine stellar bodies and other things that effect our journey."

Annika looked at the view-screen which displayed the star system she had returned from just a day ago and gasped at the spectacle. "We didn't have anything like this on our ship," she observed in wonderment as she watched the image change size and position as Icheb took his scans. "How does it do that?"

"It uses the stars to map our location in the galaxy," Chakotay answered. "It makes it possible for us to scan at greater distances and with far more accuracy than normal scanners."

She looked up at him, curiously. "These aren't normal scanners?"

"Not exactly. You helped incorporate Borg technology into ours to create this lab."

"I did?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes, you did."

She looked up at the view-screen again, watching the display before her. Then, looked again at Chakotay. "Can we use this to find my parents?"

"I'm afraid not," Chakotay answered, hoping she wouldn't get upset. "We would have to know where they are, first; and I'm afraid that's a luxury we just don't have." This time, Annika leaned against the console, looking down at nothing in particular, and let out a sharp, agitated sigh. Then, she came up with another idea.

"Can we use it to call home?"

"Well, actually... yes." What she asked next made Chakotay wish the subject had never come up.

"Can we call my auntie?"

Chakotay sighed nervously before answering. "Yes. But, you'll have to wait a few weeks before you can do that."

Annika looked at the view-screen for a moment, farrowing her brow, apparently trying to find the logic in his answer, and then looked back at him. "But, I wanna talk to her now."

Exactly what Chakotay had dreaded. How was he supposed to get her to understand why she had to wait? Especially considering what she was going through. "I'm sorry, but it's not that simple."

"Why not?" she asked, glancing between Chakotay and the view-screen again and clearly getting exasperated. "Why can't I talk to her now? I wanna talk to auntie Rene, now!"

"If you will just give me a chance to explain..."

"No!" she snapped. "I wanna talk to auntie Rene, now!"

"Annika..."

"I mean, _now!_" She punctuated the last word with a stomp of her foot. Clearly, this situation was starting to escalate into a complete meltdown! Chakotay, taking on a parental stance, placed his hands on his hips and looked her dead in the eye.

"Annika, stop it!"

"_No!_" she screamed. "I don't _have_ to do what you say! You're _not_ my _father_!"

"Maybe not," Chakotay admonished, trying to keep his voice level; "but, I'm the closest thing you have to one, if you will just..."

"I don't care! I wanna talk to my auntie, _now!_ _Now, now, NOW!_"

This wasn't getting anywhere! Every time Chakotay tried to reason with her, Annika would counter him with the same demands. With him at a loss and her in need of time to cool down, Chakotay turned his complete attention over to Icheb- ignoring her.

"Report, cadet."

"Sir," Icheb addressed, indicating the Commander's now belligerent charge.

Chakotay leaned closer to him, telling him discretely,"I once overheard my mother tell my father tantrums were like teeth: Ignore them long enough and they'll go away."

Icheb nodded in understanding before issuing his report. "The grid seems to have a triaxilating frequency. But, I haven't detected anything that would account for the deleted files."

"Source?"

"Unknown, Commander," Icheb said, while Annika switched over from issuing demands to turning on the proverbial water-works. "I suspect the power source could be on one of the planets."

"Do you think we can get any information from the inside if we sent a probe in there?"

"Doubtful, sir. Any information it would transmit..."

"...would be intercepted by the grid."

"Precisely," Icheb concluded.

Annika, meanwhile, kept looking over at Chakotay to see if her drama was getting his attention yet. But, he was still unmoved. Infuriated, she stomp-kicked the side of the console, prompting him to just look over his shoulder at her.

"Do that again, young lady, and I'll take you right back to sickbay." Annika, in response, stomped her foot hard on the deck and threw her chin out at him with a sharp '_humph'_ before turning from him, arms folded and pouting profusely. But, by that time, he had already turned his attention back over to Icheb.

"Have we been able to contact anyone in that system?"

"No, sir. No responses to hails. And, still no signs of life as of yet."

"I'll see if B'elanna and Harry can help you recalibrate the probe."

"Aye, sir."

Eventually, Annika began to realize she needed to use a different approach to get Chakotay's attention; so, she decided to try a bit of sweetness and light. She walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yes," he said, stoically, as he looked at her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Chakody," she told him. "I promise I'll be good from now on."

"Well," Chakotay said as he turned to fully face her, "I'm glad to hear you say that."

"Can we call my auntie, now?"

Chakotay let out a heavy sigh. Of course, she wasn't going to just drop the matter so easily. But, at least she was calm, now.

"Icheb, display the singularity, please." The cadet obediently worked the controls and called up the requested image.

"You see that, Annika?" Chakotay said, pointing to the view-screen. "That's a quantum singularity. We use our deflector to send a tachyon beam through it to communicate with our loved-ones in the alpha quadrant. It can only get through when the singularity is in alignment, and that's for only eleven minutes a day." He then looked over at her and asked, "Are you with me, so far?" When Annika nodded, Chakotay signaled to Icheb to resume his scans, and then turned to her to make sure he had her undivided attention. "Everyone on board has only three minutes, every two months, to speak with their loved-ones at home. Now, I'm not sure how much you've learned about taking turns with just you and your parents; but, there are about a hundred and fifty people on this ship who are just as anxious to speak with their families and friends as you are to talk to your aunt. So, it's very important for everyone to take turns with their comm. time. Understand?"

Annika stood there, pondering what he had told her. "So... it isn't my turn, yet?"

"No," he answered. "But, you do have your turn coming in a few weeks. Just be patient. Okay?"

She leaned against the console and let out a heavy, disappointed sigh. A few weeks? For her- a child of six- a few weeks seemed like forever! Did she really have to wait, 'forever?' Her parents were gone. Aunt Irene was just a comm. call away. But, she was alone. Alone!

Chakotay gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. "Let's go," he said.

* * *

There was an uncomfortable silence between them after they had left astrometrics. For Annika, not being able to talk to her aunt yet after having been told she would never see her parents again had been a bad blow, to say the least. For Chakotay, he wasn't willing to endure another tantrum, and hoped to be able to keep the peace between them for the rest of the day. So far, she hadn't given any sign that she remembered anything. But, as Chakotay reminded himself, it was only her first day. She will regain her memories, eventually- he hoped!

When they stepped off the turbo-lift at deck eleven, Chakotay finally broke the silence. "I have to speak with our chief engineer; so, we're going to engineering right now. It's also one of the stations where you work." Annika looked over at him, briefly, but still held her peace.

B'elanna, who had been hunched over her console examining the dilythium the away team had just mined, approached them as she saw them enter, and noticed the difference in Seven's appearance- and not just her mussed-up hair and sick-bay pajamas, either.

"Annika, this is Lieutenant B'elanna Torres, our chief engineer," Chakotay introduced; then, turned to B'elanna. "Hope you don't mind my bringing her here; but, I'm trying to familiarize her with _Voyager_ to help jog her memories." B'elanna nodded, politely, not any more accustomed to seeing Seven this way than Icheb was.

Annika looked hard at B'elanna, squinting her eyes as if trying to get a better look at her. Then, asked, "Are you a Klingon?"

B'elanna looked at Chakotay, who politely signaled her to answer. "Oh... uh... half Klingon, actually. My mother is Klingon; my father's human."

"Oh," Annika nodded as Chakotay addressed B'elanna.

"So, what have you found out about that dilythium?" As Chakotay and B'elanna talked, Annika's attention was draw to something else- the warp-core! As she watched the blue, glowing swirls of light whirring around inside, she couldn't think of anything else she'd seen that was so magical; not even on the _Raven._

"Dead as a doornail!" B'elanna told him, exasperated.

"Hm?"

"A complete dud! Whatever is in that dilythium is obviously keeping it from generating any power."

"Any idea what it is, yet?"

"None. I'm just as clueless as Seven was. I've never seen anything like it before."

"What about the rest of the dilythium?"

"Working as well as can be expected. We should be good for at least four months or so."

"Good. What about the shuttle?"

"Just a few stray tachyons, but that's about it."

Knowing that tachyons had temporal properties, Chakotay had a theory he hoped would provide an answer. "Any chance the ship's data could simply be out of phase?"

"We already tested that theory, Chakotay. Those files are _gone_!"

Chakotay sighed in frustration before continuing. "I want you to send a sample of the dead ore to the Doctor. Maybe he could compare it to any data he might have from Seven's exams. Do the same with the data you have on the _Flyer. _Maybe we can..."

"_Hey!_" B'elanna yelled suddenly when she noticed Annika scrambling underneath the warp-core railing to the other side, putting herself in harm's way.

"Annika!" Chakotay cried out as he and B'elanna ran up to her.

"There are over five million gigawatts of power running through that core," B'elanna informed her. "If you touch it, it'll roast you like a targ!"

"Get out of there, Annika!" Chakotay ordered. Annika looked back over at the core, wistfully, not understanding how this magical pillar of light could possibly hurt her. "Now!" he added as she hesitated. But, finally, reluctantly, she obeyed and made her way back under the rail.

She walked up to Chakotay, head down and shame-faced. "Are you mad at me?"

"No," Chakotay answered as he made her look at him. "But, you gave us a really good scare. That railing is there for a reason- to make sure no one gets too close to that core. You could've gotten yourself killed."

"Oh," she said before turning apologetically to B'elanna. "I'm sorry."

As if this day couldn't get any more complicated!


	5. Chapter 5

Things didn't improve much during lunch. Annika hardly spoke the whole time. Chakotay had made several attempts to strike up a conversation with her, but she would only answer with a nod, a head-shake, or a shrug. He was lucky if he got an _uh-huh_ from her. And, by the time Chakotay had finished eating, Annika's plate was barely touched. Figuring she had had enough for now, he decided to take her back to sickbay.

When they had entered, the Doctor was already tending to another patient, which Annika quickly noticed.

"Is that the Vulcan that was on the shuttle yesterday?" Annika asked, pointing to him.

"Yes," Chakotay answered. "His name is Tuvok. He's our chief tactical officer, our third in command, and happens to be one of your closest friends."

"What?" she asked, sounding shocked. "But, he tried to hurt me yesterday."

"Not true," he assured her. "He was only trying to keep you and the away team from getting hurt, that's all." Annika remembered how Janeway had told her that pushing buttons on the consoles the way she was had put the crew at risk, though she didn't quite understand how. She was only trying to find her parents- which the crew were constantly telling her was impossible.

The Doctor administered a hypo-spray to Tuvok, who then promptly left, and noticed Chakotay and Annika standing there before he approached them.

"Ah, Commander, Annika," the Doctor addressed. "So, how are we doing so far, hm?" Chakotay felt as if the Doctor might as well have asked him; _how was that armed conflict, today? _and let out a heavy sigh.

"Is there something wrong with him?" Annika asked, referring to Tuvok.

"I am not at liberty to disclose any medical information regarding my patients," the Doctor informed her. "Doctor-patient confidentiality."

Then, Chakotay turned to her. "Annika, could you excuse us for a minute, please?"

"My blankie?" she asked both of them.

"It's right where you left it this morning," the Doctor kindly offered as he pointed to the bio-bed where she had slept the night before. She quickly thanked him, scampered over to it and waited, holding her blanket.

"I take it she hasn't had any recall yet, Commander?" the Doctor asked.

"Not an inkling," answered Chakotay, tersely.

"Be patient, Commander," the Doctor assured. "After all, it's only her first day."

"I know, Doctor. It's just..."

The Doctor could tell Chakotay was at a loss. "What, Commander? What happened?"

"Well... I'm afraid... I may have ended up telling her too much already."

"Like what?"

Chakotay regarded him, nervously. He told him of how promptly she had asked about her assimilation and why she couldn't remember it; about their wedding rings and how that had led him to tell her they were married; about her asking if they could use astrometrics sensors to find her parents and the tantrum she threw when he had told her she needed to wait to call her aunt.

"Try not to be so hard on yourself, Commander." the Doctor assured. "It's better to be honest with her now than to lie to her. Feeling deceived would only add to her anxiety." Than, he asked, "Anything else, Commander?"

"Well... I took her with me to engineering to talk to B'elanna and then found her lurking on the wrong side of the core rail."

"Oh, my!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Glad she wasn't hurt." Then, noticing Chakotay's guilty expression, the Doctor gave his shoulder a reassuring grip. "You know, I'm always telling Lieutenants Paris and Torres not to worry too much about mistakes and near-misses. Every parent or guardian experiences them. The important thing is she didn't get hurt. And at least you know now to keep a closer eye on her, which is difficult enough as it is."

"That still doesn't make me feel better," Chakotay admitted as he looked over at Annika, who was now pacing next to the bio-bed.

"I know, Commander."

"In the meantime?"

"Keep her here with me for now," the Doctor suggested. "I'd like to run a few more neural scans to check her progress, and do a psychological evaluation to see how she's coping so far. In the meantime, you should take the opportunity to get some work done or relax if you have the chance. I'm inclined to release her tonight, and I wouldn't count on it being smooth sailing, either."

Chakotay nodded, "Of course, Doctor. What time would you like me to come back?"

"I'm bored!" Annika suddenly informed.

"Come here," the Doctor said, motioning her over. "If you'd like, I can replicate some paper and crayons for you so you can draw. Alright?"

"Okay," Annika said before the Doctor turned back to Chakotay.

"Just come by when your shift is over."

"Will do," Chakotay said as the Doctor left them to replicate the promised art supplies.

"I'm not sleeping here, tonight?" Annika asked Chakotay, sounding surprised.

"No," he answered. "Not if he releases you."

"But, where will I sleep, then?"

"Where will you sleep?" asked Chakotay, perplexed. Then, it occurred to him that she didn't completely understand the full nature of their relationship, though she knew they were married. "Why, you'll be returning to quarters with me, of course," he said, trying to keep his tone light. "We _are_ a married couple, after all, so we live together."

But, instead of the relief he hoped he'd get from her, she seemed more disheartened. Hanging her head and holding her blanket close to her, she said in a sad, shaky voice, "I want papa."

Chakotay was heartbroken for her, to say the least.

* * *

"So, how is she, so far?" Captain Janeway asked as Chakotay met with her in her ready-room.

"I wish I could say she was doing great," He answered. "Unfortunately, she seems to be having difficulty adapting- not that I blame her."

"Want some coffee?" Janeway offered.

"No, thank you," Chakotay answered, preferring a good, strong drink instead, yet having enough sense not to ask for one.

"What has the Doctor said about her?" asked the Captain as she rose from behind her desk and made her way to the replicator.

"Nothing at the moment," he answered. "He said he wants to run more tests and observe her behavior for a while. She's there now as we speak."

"And how was she with you this morning? Coffee- black."

"Well," Chakotay began as Janeway picked up her coffee, "let's just say she had a lot of questions I wish I didn't have to answer."

"Like what?"

"Oh, like, was she assimilated and why she doesn't remember it; are our 'matching rings,' wedding rings and are we married; can she call her aunt and why does she have to wait..."

"I get the picture," Janeway said, putting up a restraining hand. "How did she take it?"

"Apparently, she's still having difficulty accepting her circumstances," he said, sounding not a little discouraged. "She went from asking me question after question to barely speaking at all, and has hardly eaten. The Doctor said I was right to be honest with her, but I still hate seeing her like this. I just wish there was more I can do for her."

Janeway nodded. "Berating yourself isn't going to help her any, Commander. We still need to find a way to help her regain her memories. I don't suppose anyone has been able to figure out how to transmit any data from that star system through the grid, yet?"

"I was thinking about having a probe modified. But, when the Doctor offered to replicate some coloring supplies for Annika, it occurred to me that we may be going about this the wrong way."

"Oh?" Janeway asked, arching her brow.

"Yes. Apparently, we need to gather our data the old-fashioned way."

Janeway leaned casually on her rail, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "Tell me."

"We send an away team back in there with the usual scanning equipment, but we send them in with notepads and writing implements as well. As they record whatever data they deem relevant, they jot it down on paper. The grid shouldn't effect that."

"Do it!" Janeway ordered, exuberantly. "Assemble an away team and send them out as soon a possible."

"Aye, Captain."

"And, I don't expect you to take them yourself, either, Commander," the Captain said as she approached him. "Your wife needs you here."

"I know, Katheryn," he said. "'For better, or for worse... in sickness and in health...' I remember the vows we took. It's just... I'm not so sure I'm the right person for the job."

"Chakotay," she said, looking him in the eye, "just because you had a rough morning doesn't mean you don't have what it takes to help her through this. In fact, she's very lucky to have you while she's going through this ordeal. Just hang in there. She'll be back to her old self, eventually."

"I certainly hope so, Captain."

* * *

Once Chakotay had assigned the away team- which consisted of Lieutenants Torres and Kim, Tuvok, and Icheb- he went about his usual duties. A few hours later, he took some of his work back to his quarters, and then returned to sickbay.

Annika was seated in front of the Doctor's desk, drawing. There were a few P.A.D.D.s and two puzzles on the desk, along with a scattering of art supplies. The Doctor was carrying a small plate to the replicator for recycling when he noticed Chakotay entering.

"Hm," Chakotay mused as the Doctor approached him. "Looks like the two of you have been quite busy."

"To say the least, Commander," the Doctor replied, good-naturedly. "I did manage to do more scans, though getting her to stop playing long enough for me to do so was no easy task."

"So, what did you find out, Doctor?" Chakotay asked.

"Inconclusive at this time. I'll have to run more tests over the next few days to see how she's progressing."

"And, what about your psychological evaluation?"

"Come over here, Commander," said the Doctor as he motioned Chakotay over to a bio-bed that was littered with drawings. "Having her do these has proven to be quite insightful."

"Good idea, Doctor," Chakotay observed. "Drawing was one of Annika's favorite activities. Her parents had her art displayed all over the bulkheads."

"Drawing is actually a time-honored means of therapy for children," the Doctor explained. "Children will often express their feelings through art in ways they would never verbalize. It also serves as a catharsis for them." Then, the Doctor picked up one of the drawings to show him. It was a drawing with a star-ship- likely, _Voyager_- on one side, and a Borg cube on the other. A little girl was inside the star-ship, reaching out to the cube and crying. "As you can see, Commander," the Doctor said, pointing to the ships," she's drawn motion lines showing _Voyager_ moving away from the cube, but no such lines around the cube."

"As if she sees us as the ones taking her away from her parents," Chakotay concluded.

"My thoughts, exactly," said the Doctor. "I also wanted to see how far her memories had gone- to the point where they were erased." Then, he picked up another picture. This one depicted an assimilation chamber inside a Borg cube. On one side was a couple- the man in the forefront- lying on tables with drones assimilating them. Half of the man's arm was cut off- a large, red spot signifying blood. And on the other side was a crying little girl being held by a drone. Two straight lines were drawn from the drone's hand through the girl's neck, no doubt depicting assimilation tubules. "This seems to be the last thing she remembered."

"In other words, she hasn't drawn anything about her being stuffed inside a maturation chamber?"

"Precisely," the Doctor said as he put the picture down.

"So, are you letting her come home tonight," Chakotay asked, eagerly.

"As soon as the two of you are ready. I would like her to come in at around 14:00 hours tomorrow for her next series of scans, and some further evaluation."

"Will she have to regenerate?"

The Doctor looked over at his patient, than back at Chakotay. "I would like her to. But, given her emotional state, she may resist. If she does, don't press the issue. Her cognitive and emotional recovery are the priority right now. But, once she is ready, then have her regenerate. It could help re-align her synaptic functions and increase her chances of remembering."

"Understood," Chakotay nodded. "Has she eaten? I saw you carrying a plate from your office."

"I gave her a sandwich an hour ago," the Doctor answered. "She finished it just before you came in."

Chakotay was clearly relieved that she had managed to eat. Then, a thought occurred to him. "I don't suppose I should modify our sleeping arrangements for the time being."

"That's entirely up to you, Commander," the Doctor assured. "You're well aware of the situation. I'm sure you'll figure out a reasonable solution to your dilemma."

"If it's all the same to you, Doctor, I just want my wife back," Chakotay stated in exhausted frustration.

"Don't worry, Commander. I have no intention of deactivating myself until this crisis is over."

"I appreciate that, Doctor."

* * *

"Computer, lights!" Chakotay ordered as he and Annika entered their quarters. It had taken an additional half hour before he and the Doctor had managed to coax her out of sickbay. The Doctor had put away all the art supplies and other activities while Annika continued to work on her project. Chakotay had waited patiently for her so as not to make her feel uncomfortable about going home with him.

"Are you hungry?" Chakotay asked her as she looked around. She only responded with a head-shake, not looking at him; blanket clutched tightly in her arms. "Then, how about something to drink? A glass of milk, maybe?"

"No, thank you," she said, otherwise responding the same way.

"Well, then, is there anything I _can_ do for you?"

"I'm tired, I wanna go to bed," she said in a single breath, still not looking at him.

"A sonic shower might help you feel better."

Finally, she looked at him. "You got one of those?"

"Yes," he answered, relieved that he had finally gotten her attention. "All the personal lavatories have them. Can you use the shower by yourself?" She nodded. "Do you know how to operate it?" Another nod. Then, he proceeded to escort her there.

As they entered the bedroom, Annika noticed the bed at her left, but at her right was something that made her scream and hide behind Chakotay. "The Borg!"

"What?"

"The Borg. They're assimilating the ship!"

"Annika." Chakotay turned to her and held her by the shoulders in an attempt to calm her, and looked at the object that was frightening her. "It's alright. That's your alcove, where you regenerate."

"What? _Regenerate?_"

"Yes," he told her as calmly as he could. "Your implants need to be regenerated, periodically."

But, Annika was still shaking with fright. "Please, mister Chakody," she begged. "Please, don't make me go in there!"

"I won't. I promise." After giving her a chance to calm down, Chakotay escorted her to the lavatory, made sure it was free of safety hazards, and adjusted the shower to her specifications.

"I'll replicate some clean pajamas for you while you shower," he told her. "Are you sure you'll be alright in here by yourself?" She nodded, and he left, the door closing behind him.

When she looked in the mirror and saw her facial implants, she paled. Up to this point, she had assumed her hand was the worst of the damage. She reached up and touched her ocular implant gasping; shaking. Then, as she removed her sick-bay garments and slippers, she could see more of the components lodged in her body. The sub-dermal cables that protruded like ribs through skin mottled with scar tissue. The implant embedded in her upper right arm. Another such implant on her left thigh and an exoskeleton on her right foot. After about a minute in frozen disbelief, she began sobbing- then, screaming.

"Annika!" Chakotay called in alarm as he rushed back to the lavatory. Annika quickly grabbed a towel to conceal herself as he charged in.

"No. Don't look at me," she demanded. "I'm a monster!"

"It's okay, Annika," he said in an attempt to calm her.

"No, it's not," she yelled. "I'm a drone! You said I was _human!_"

"You _are _human..."

"No, I'm not!" she sobbed. "Go away... please...

"Annika..."

"_Get out!_"

Chakotay ached to hold her- comfort her. But, he didn't want to alienate her any more than he already had. She needed a chance to absorb this disturbing new discovery that has left her so distraught. So- reluctantly- he left her.

As the door closed behind him, he felt his heart still in there with her as he heard her muffled sobs. "Papa... papa, help me..."


	6. Chapter 6

It took Annika over an hour before she had calmed herself enough to take her shower. Chakotay had made at least two attempts at offering her some comfort- both of which she refused. But, once she had started her shower and he made sure she was safe, Chakotay immersed himself into his work- and a good strong cup of black coffee- grateful for the distraction. In fact, he was so deep into his work that he didn't hear Annika's footsteps as she approached him minutes later.

"Mister Chakody."

Chakotay looked up at her, a little startled. "Oh... uh... yes?"

"I'm ready for bed, now," she said, stating the obvious. She was in the white and pale blue striped pajamas he had replicated for her, cream-colored terry cloth slippers, and was clutching her blanket.

"Oh... alright."

"What are you doing?" she asked, referring to the P.A.D.D. he was holding and the others he had stacked in front of him."

"Oh...uh... personnel reports," he answered before looking up at her again. "Did you need something?"

She looked down at him, expectantly. "Tuck me in?"

Under normal circumstances, Chakotay would have taken such a request as a come-on and be rolling in the sheets with her within seconds. But, of course, this was not the case. She was alone, distraught, still unable to accept the loss of her parents, and on a ship full of strangers- at least from her viewpoint. And now, after keeping him at arm's length all afternoon, she was coming to him for comfort, since she didn't have anyone else now to provide it for her.

"Sure," he answered, putting the P.A.D.D. down and standing as she turned and shuffled back to the bedroom in a manner which reminded him of the little girl he had seen in her memories.

She stood at the foot of the bed as he entered and went to her side of it to turn down the covers for her. As she walked toward him, she kept looking over at her alcove, clearly not comfortable about being in the same room with it.

"It won't bite," Chakotay told her, reassuringly, "I promise."

As she crawled into bed and Chakotay helped her with the covers, Annika noticed a blanket that was draped over the otherwise standard issue bedding. It was woven of natural fiber, with colored wooden beads sewn onto it. "Pretty," she said as she tugged on the blanket and curiously fingered the beads.

"That blanket was actually given to you by a young girl you nursed back to health, about two years ago," Chakotay explained. But, Annika seemed more content to admire the blanket than to hear the story behind it.

"Comfy?" he asked as he helped her settle in. When she nodded, he gave her arm an affectionate squeeze. "Sleep tight," he said, then rose and headed for the door.

"Mister Chakody," she called before he made it to the threshold.

He turned to her. "Yes?"

"Tell me a story." Though Chakotay was anxious to get back to his work and put this day behind him, he couldn't suppress a small smile creeping across his lips. So, he walked over and sat on his side of the bed.

"_One_ story," he emphasized, resulting in a frown in return. "Look, I have a lot of work to do and need to get some sleep myself. I'm happy to tell you a bedtime story, but I can't be up all night. Okay?" Her frown gave way to a slight pout. But, reluctantly, she nodded. "Good. Now, what story would you like to hear?"

"Oh, I don't care," she said, shaking her head.

"Hm," he thought for a moment before deciding. "Have you ever heard the story of _The Ugly Duckling_?"

"Oh, yes," she nodded. "I like that story!"

So, he proceeded to tell it...

* * *

She'd managed to finagle another story from him before he'd left the room- _Puss in Boots._ But, when he had turned the light off and she'd almost called to him to leave it on, she noticed that she was still able to see- in the _dark! _She figured it had to be the 'eye thing' she had seen in the mirror earlier. She remembered how her parents would examine various Borg components and how they'd said that Borg ocular implants gave drones the ability to see in the dark; _night vision_, they had called it.

Well, what ever this, 'night vision,' is, it did little to comfort her. Not only did the things she saw look green, but the green wasn't even the kind you would see with ordinary night vision goggles. It was more intense. An eery florescent. It even made the alcove look more menacing than she could have possibly imagined. She stared at it. She didn't want to. She wanted to sleep. But, she was afraid that a drone would emerge from it and assimilate her if she took her eyes off of it. So, she lay there, staring at the thin, jagged lines of green light dancing in the overhead piece; the illuminated buttons on the control panels; listened to its circuits hum. At moments, she thought she could even see something moving in there. Of course, that was impossible, since she and Chakotay were the only ones in these quarters.

But, no. Something _was_ moving in there. She couldn't see it clearly at first. Why couldn't she? It was right in front of her. And that 'eye thing' gave her much clearer vision than normal! But she watched, terrified, as the figure stepped out of the alcove and at last came clear into view. A drone! A tall, menacing, mechanical man standing before her, staring at her with a glowing, green eye.

"Papa," she choked out as she backed away from it. But, Magnus was ready with phaser in hand. He fired at the drone, but it quickly adapted.

"Run!" he screamed as he valiantly kept trying to protect his family. But, no matter how hard he had tried, the Borg were too powerful for them.

"Run, Annika!" Erin screamed as a drone grabbed her from behind. "Run! _Hide!_"

"We're gonna crash!" Magnus yelled as Annika dove underneath the console. Soon, she couldn't hear either of her parents at all. The Borg had taken them!

Annika sat there, huddled in a fetal position, shaking, eyes wide with fright. She tried to keep as still as possible, as red, ocular lasers danced around the bridge in search of her. _Quiet, very quiet. Very still. Don't let them find you._

But, just as their tiny ship was seconds away from impact of an M-class moon, one of the lasers crossed her foot, alerting a drone of her presence. She had been discovered! It then walked up to the console and reached in for her, and she felt its iron grip on her arm as it began to pull her out. "You will be assimilated," it said.

"No!" she screamed. "Let me go!"

"Resistance is futile."

"No. Please! Papa, help me!"

"Annika."

"No! Please, let me go!" she kept screaming as she struggled against the grip that pulled at her, repeating her name. Then, it started to shake her...

"Annika, wake up!" Her eyes flew open; her breath, shallow; her heart, hammering! "You were having a nightmare," Chakotay told her. "It's alright. You're safe."

Annika looked around, skittishly, not quite focused yet on her surroundings. "Papa..."

"Look at me," he said as he cupped her chin and turned her face toward his. "It's me. Chakotay. You're aboard _Voyager. _You're safe!"

It took Annika a few moments to regain presence of mind before her eyes finally met his. "Ch... Chakody?" she managed. Then, she sat straight up. "I was on our ship."

"The _Raven_?" he asked.

She nodded; then, looked over at the alcove. "A drone came out of there," she recalled, clearly frightened.

"You were dreaming, Annika." But, she was already shaking her head profusely.

"No. No! I saw it. I wasn't sleeping..."

"I checked on you over an hour ago," he informed her. "You were sound asleep." Just then, Chakotay caught a whiff of an unpleasant odor. Hoping he was mistaken, he placed his hand on the mattress right next to where Annika sat and- sure enough- discovered that he may have guessed correctly.

"Get up!" he snapped.

"Huh?"

"Up, _now!_ Computer, lights!" Chakotay threw the covers back and, sure enough, there was a rather large wet spot on the mattress, and Annika's pajamas were so wet they literally clung to her. Chakotay groaned and cursed under his breath. Annika stood there, sobbing; partly from the discomfort of her urine-soaked pajamas, and partly out of guilt for ruining the bed.

"I'm sorry," she cried as Chakotay approached her.

"Annika..."

"I'm sorry."

"Hey," Chakotay said as he held her shoulder and caressed her cheek. "I'm not mad at you. It's just... today has been difficult for both of us. It's okay. We just need to clean up." She seemed to calm down a little as he continued. "Now, go in and clean up. Another shower should do it. I'll replicate you another pair of pajamas and clean up the bed. Sound good?" She nodded, and they proceeded to their task.

So, Annika took another shower while Chakotay deodorized the bed and changed the linens. The task took about twenty minutes to complete. Chakotay was finished by the time Annika came out, all fresh and clean again.

"If you want, I can leave a low light on in here if it will help," Chakotay offered as he tucked her in again.

She nodded in answer and asked, "Could you tell me another story, please?"

He let out a heavy sigh. "I'm afraid I'm too tired to think of one right now." Chakotay, of course, knew that she didn't want to be alone after her experience, but he felt quite beleaguered by the events of the day and from shear exhaustion. Then, an idea hit him. "You could tell _me_ a story if you like."

"Oh," she smiled. "Okay. What would you like to here?"

"I don't care. But, right afterwords, we need to get some sleep."

"Alright," she said and cleared her throat before she began. "A scorpion was walking by the river when he saw a fox..." Chakotay's heart dropped! Out of all the stories in the universe that she could have told him, why, oh, why, did she have to tell him _that _one? "Half way across the river, the scorpion stung him. As the poison filled his veins, the fox asked, 'Why did you do that? Now, we'll both drown.' And the scorpion said..."

"I can't help it. It's my nature," Chakotay finished; his mind, regretfully, somewhere else. A conversation with the Captain, and how he used that same story to try to convince her not to go through with the plan that had brought Seven into their lives in the first place.

She smiled brightly at him. "You know this one!" she exclaimed.

_Oh, honey,_ his mind railed. _You have no idea!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chakotay stood groggily at the replicator, trying to decide what to program for breakfast, when he realized he hadn't yet asked Annika what she wanted. So, he retreated to the bathroom where she was standing in front of the mirror, dressed in the outfit he had replicated for her; a forgiving pair of charcoal leggings, and a comfortable mauve knit top. Since Seven was in no condition to work, Chakotay didn't see the point in her wearing her uniform.

"Hey," Chakotay addressed as Annika stared at the hairbrush she was holding, her hair still a mess. "Anything special you'd like for breakfast this morning? I thought we'd eat here before showing you more of the ship." But, Annika didn't acknowledge him. She just kept looking at the brush, dreamily. "Annika?" he said, hoping to get her attention.

She sighed deeply before speaking. "Mama brushes my hair," she said, not taking her eyes off the brush.

Unsure how to respond, especially since she spoke in present-tense, Chakotay offered, "Would you like me to brush your hair for you?" Annika nodded slowly and handed the brush to him as he stood behind her. "I'm sorry your mom's not here to do this for you," he said as he brushed the golden locks. "But I don't mind doing it. Besides, I always thought you had beautiful hair."

A reminiscent smile played on her lips. "Mama has pretty hair, too," she said, again in present-tense. Then, her expression became more distant. "No. She doesn't have hair any more, does she?" Chakotay knew better than to answer that question as he looked at her expression in the mirror; then, resumed his task. "I didn't have hair, either, did I?"

Chakotay noticed that her expression was now more expectant, and he drew a heavy sigh. "Let's just say, you're not the same person you were when you first came aboard."

"Because, I was a drone," she stated, bluntly. Chakotay nodded as he put the hairbrush down and reached for an elastic. "Were there other drones with me?" she asked as he tied her hair into a ponytail. "Mama and papa said that Borg drones assimilate in groups. What happened to the other drones?"

Chakotay felt knots tighten in the pit of his stomach. Up until now, he had been honest and upfront with her. But, this time, he just couldn't bring himself to answer her question. "It's a long and... unpleasant story," he told her as he finished with her hair. "I'll tell you sometime..."

"But," she said, turning to face him, "I wanna hear it now."

Chakotay placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eye. "I don't think you're ready to hear it just yet," he explained. "You already have a lot to deal with. But, when you're ready, I'll tell you. Alright?" Annika sighed heavily before giving him a resigned nod. "Good. Now, what would you like for breakfast?"

* * *

"Well, by the time the alarm went off this morning, Miral was just millimeters away from pulling B'elanna's bat'leth off the wall. Amazing what a toddler can accomplish when she learns to push a chair across the floor."

Janeway chuckled in amusement at Tom's recollection. "Sounds like you need to find another place for that thing."

"Oh, I just took it down," he stated. "Put it somewhere where she won't see it. I thought B'elanna and I could figure out another place for it when she gets back."

Just then, the turbo-lift doors hissed open, and the bridge officers turned to see Chakotay and Annika stepping out. Janeway stood up from her Captain's chair and turned to greet them. "Good morning, Commander; Annika."

"Good morning, Captain," Chakotay greeted in return. "I've been showing Annika the stations where she would normally be working to help jog her memory. I hope you don't mind my bringing her up here."

"Not at all, Commander," Janeway assured.

"Where's my station at?" Annika asked.

"Right here," he said as he led her to the console between opps. and tactical, both of which were being manned by Ensigns who were filling in for Harry and Tuvok. Annika's attention, however, was soon drawn to the stellar bodies displayed on the view-screen. She moved down from her station and stood next to the Captain, letting out a soft gasp in awe.

"You should see those stars when we're at warp," Janeway offered.

"Oh, I've seen warp stars before, Captain," Annika said. "It's just that your view-screen is bigger than ours."

Chakotay, who had followed Annika down, placed a hand on her shoulder before addressing the Captain. "Any word from the away teem, yet?"

"They entered the system about two hours ago," answered Janeway.

"I just hope we don't end up with another patient on our hands."

"You're worried about Icheb?"

Chakotay nodded. "I know the Doctor gave him clearance and said he wasn't as dependent on his implants as Seven. But, then again, Icheb would've probably stowed away if he _didn't_ clear him," Chakotay said, half-jokingly. "He was rather insistent on going."

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Commander," Janeway assured. "Besides, since he understands the risk, he might be more resistant to the grid's effects, so he has an advantage."

"I hope you're right, Captain," Chakotay said before Janeway turned her attention to Annika.

"And, how are you, Annika? You and Commander Chakotay getting along okay?"

"Yes," she nodded. "He's very nice."

"I just hope you managed to childproof you quarters, Chakotay," Tom teased, resulting in giggles from several bridge officers.

Chakotay placed his hands on his hips, eying the helmsman. "Ah, the experienced father advising his superior officer, aren't you?"

Tom gave him a well rehearsed shrug. "Just trying to be helpful, pops."

"Mr. Paris," Janeway said in maternal admonishment.

"It's alright, Captain," Chakotay said. "If he wants double shifts all next month..."

"Hey," Tom said with hands up, "no can do, Chakotay. Between here, sickbay, _and_ the kid, I barely got time to spare as it is, especially now that she's toilet-training."

"Take it from me, Tom; you're going to have to do a lot more than just get her out of diapers before it stops being messy."

"Oh, really?" Tom said, clearly getting the upper-hand. "And, just how would you know about that, Chakotay?"

In all her childish bluntness, Annika answered, "I peed the bed."

If any word could describe what Chakotay was feeling at that moment, _mortified_ would have been an understatement!

* * *

"There are some things you just don't blurt out in the open," Chakotay admonished Annika minutes later in the turbo-lift. "Bed-wetting is one of them. People think it's embarrassing."

"I'm sorry, mister Chakody."

"Aw, forget it," he said, waving it off. "And, just Chakotay, please. No need to be formal."

"Oh, okay," she nodded. "So, where are we going now?"

Chakotay's expression softened as he offered her a warm smile. "You'll see," he said as the turbo-lift doors opened.

He led her down the corridor until they reached a pair of large doors. When the doors opened, they were greeted by the sweet fragrance of berries and blossoms. Annika saw immediately where the aroma was coming from. "You have a garden!" she exclaimed.

"Sort of," Chakotay said as he watched her explore the various plants. "It's our airponics garden. We use it to grow edible plants for food."

"I wish we had a this on the _Raven_," Annika said as she admired the colorful plants. "We only had rations and replicated food to eat."

"I thought you'd like it here," Chakotay said. "You come here sometimes to gather food to cook with."

"I do?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes. You're quite good at it."

"Cooking?"

"Mm-hm."

"It's pretty, here," she said as she smelled flowers and touched leaves. She then came up to some shiny, deep blue, oblong berries and looked at Chakotay, who nodded permission to sample one. She then plucked it off, popped it into her mouth, and relished its sweetness.

"You can have another one if you like," Chakotay offered. Annika nodded, smiling at him, and proceeded to eat another. Then, she moved on to a few other plants before stopping at one that seemed to have only tiny green leaves. She looked over at him, curiously. "You eat the roots," he told her.

"Oh, okay," she said before pulling one of the roots out and biting into it. As Chakotay anticipated, Annika made the sourest of expressions and spat her bite out into the dirt. "Yuck!" she said in disgust. Chakotay couldn't help but giggle at her reaction. "Not funny!" she yelled at him.

"I'm sorry," he said, now trying to gather his composure and failing miserably. "It's just... that's exactly how I reacted the first time I tried it."

"What is it?" she asked, still agitated.

"Leola root," he said. "You have to season it pretty well to make it palatable."

"Well," she said as she threw the bitten root back into the dirt, "it's still yucky!"

Just then, the doors of cargo-bay one opened, and in stepped a young, adolescent girl with long red hair and four tiny horns trailing down the middle of her forehead, and was wearing a rust-colored jumpsuit. "Permission to interrupt, Commander?" she asked, politely.

"Of course," he said as he moved next to Annika. "Annika, this is Naomi Wildman, another close friend of yours. She was..."

"The first child born on Voyager," Naomi finished, rolling her eyes, having heard the story far too many times.

Chakotay chuckled. "What can we do for you?" he asked.

Naomi took a deep breath before approaching them. "Icheb told me what happened in astrometrics yesterday, and... well..." She then pulled something out of her pocket. "I was supposed to contact my dad today, but..." then, she slowly, nervously, extended it out to them and looked at Annika. "I think you need this more than I do."

Chakotay took it, his eyes widening when he saw that it was an ISO-linear chip. "You're giving Annika your comm. time?"

"Yes, sir," she said, smiling sweetly at them.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. I can still write him and send it in the next data-stream. He'll understand." Noticing Chakotay's reluctance and Annika's hopeful expression, she added, "I'm looking after crew morale, sir."

"Does this mean I can call my aunt?" she asked, eagerly.

Looking at both girls and seeing Naomi dawn a smile of satisfaction at doing her part to help, he answered, "Yes, I guess it does."

"Oh, thank you," Annika exclaimed as she jumped with glee and flung her arms around Naomi. "Thank you so much!"

* * *

Annika's heart thudded in anticipation as Chakotay inserted the ISO-linear chip into the console in astrometrics and programed the deflector to emit the tachyon beam to Earth. A thought occurred to him then as he turned to her, not wanting to risk another meltdown.

"Now, keep in mind, your aunt isn't expecting to hear from you today. So, there's no guaranty she'll be there to answer. Understand?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Okay," he said. "I just want to make sure you don't get upset if she doesn't answer."

"I won't."

"You promise?"

She nodded, vigorously. "I promise."

"Okay," he exhaled. "Here goes."

Much to their relief, the white noise on the huge view-screen gave way to the kindly face of Irene Hansen. "Annika... Chakotay!" she exclaimed, both surprised and delighted. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you for weeks..."

"Auntie Rene," Annika intoned, sounding a little puzzled. "You look so... old!"

Irene's apparent puzzlement prompted Chakotay to explain. "Something happened to her that caused her to lose her memories from the time she was assimilated. A friend gave her her comm. time so she could talk to you."

"Well, tell her, 'thank you,' for me, Commander," Irene said with gratitude and understanding before turning to her niece. "And, how are you, dear. Are you doing okay?"

Annika looked over at Chakotay for a moment before letting out a staggered sigh and answered, "We were assimilated, auntie..."

"I know, honey," Irene answered gently.

"They won't go look for mama and papa," Annika continued, sadly and near accusingly. Chakotay looked at her with empathy, clearly ill-at-ease with her perspective of the situation, which Irene quickly noticed.

"Now, dear," Irene said to her niece in a gentle yet firm tone, "didn't Chakotay explain to you that that happened a long time ago?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Sweetie, I miss your mother and father, too," Irene explained. "But, there's no way to find them at this time. What matters now is that _you're_ safe, and as long as I'm still alive, I'll be here waiting for you to come home."

Annika took a deep breath before speaking again. "Do you still have your strawberry patch?"

"Why, of course I do, dear," Irene answered, beaming at her while Chakotay exhaled in relief of Annika not pressing the issue about her parents.

The remainder of the three minute conversation mostly covered strawberries, the airponics bay, and how yucky leola root was. Then, with a promise to let Irene know if Annika's condition changes, the transmission ended.

"You okay?" Chakotay asked as he escorted her out of Astrometrics. She only responded with a nod. "Glad you got to talk to your aunt?"

After another nod, she asked, "Where are we going, now?"

"You'll see," he grinned as they entered the turbo-lift, rode two decks up, and walked down the corridor to yet another set of double doors.

When they entered the large room, Annika looked around- bewildered. The room was completely empty. When she looked back over at Chakotay, she noticed him smiling in a way that said he had something up his sleeve.

"What is this?" she asked, incredulously. "There's nothing here..."

"Not yet," he said, mischievously. She arched a perplexed brow, drawing a chuckle from him before he uttered, "Computer, run program Seven of Nine: Beta Four."

To Annika's astonishment, the walls that looked so empty and bare vanished, and were replaced by a lush, green forest. She looked around her, gasping in amazement as she touched one of the trees to make sure it was really there. "How did you do that?" she asked enthusiastically. "Is it magic?"

"Technology, actually," Chakotay answered warmly. "It's our holo-deck."

"Holo-deck?"

"Yes. It uses a combination of photons and force-fields to create whatever scenario we want."

"Is this Earth?" she asked as they began to walk together.

"No. It's a planet that my people colonized many years ago. You actually created this program for me as a gift."

"What's it called?"

"Dorvan V."

"Does your family still live there?"

This was not a subject he was ever comfortable with, and he tensed as he answered her. "Our planet was attacked. Everyone there was killed, including my father. I still have my sister and cousin on Earth, though."

After a brief silence, Annika hooked her hand on Chakotay's arm- which surprised him- and said with empathy, "I'm sorry about your father. I guess you know how I feel."

"About losing your parents?"

She nodded. As they continued to walk together in silence, listening to birds singing and feeling the sea-cooled breeze blowing, Annika couldn't help but be reminded of the green field where she had played with her parents before leaving Federation space on their expedition. At least, she was no longer in the confines of their ship.

Just then, Annika looked up at Chakotay, gave his arm a quick squeeze, and then pushed away from him. "Can't catch me!" she cried as she bolted away from him.

"Wanna bet?" he teased as he began his pursuit. He ran through the woods, leaping over shrubs and fallen logs, weaving around trees, until the chase lead them out in the open where they both collapsed in exhaustion on soft grass. They laid there breathless for several minutes in contented silence, looking up at an azure blue sky streaked in white wisps of cloud. As a hawk circled the sky, Annika broke the silence.

"Wish I had some strawberries," she sighed.

Chakotay propped himself up on his elbow to look down at her. "You mentioned something about a strawberry patch to your aunt a little while ago." She nodded. "Would you like one here?"

"You can do that?" she asked as she sat up, wide eyed.

"I sure can," he answered as he, too, sat up. "Computer, add a strawberry patch to this field- about four meters squared."

Annika looked over and saw the promised patch materialize before her, ripe with the bright, red fruit. "Yeah!" she cried as she leaped off the ground and bolted to her new berry patch, digging into the fruit with such fervor one would swear she was indulging herself in the garden of sweets.

Chakotay stood and watched her. It was good to see her this way. The carefree little girl enjoying herself and forgetting her misery for a while.


	8. Chapter 8

Over the next few days, Seven showed no sign of improvement. Chakotay continued to familiarize her with _Voyager_, making repeated visits to astrometrics, engineering, and other parts of the ship Seven would normally frequent. The Doctor also hadn't found anything remarkable about Seven's condition; only that it was most likely nothing more than a classic case of amnesia, but continued to examine her daily and observe her behavior. Chakotay knew he shouldn't let himself get discouraged, but he was at a point where he found himself doing little more than helping her to adapt, wandering if she would ever be his beloved wife again.

For Annika, she was still trying to make sense of her situation. Chakotay and his crew-mates seemed nice enough, and they did let her talk to her aunt. But, she still couldn't understand why they wouldn't look for her parents. She even speculated that perhaps what she was experiencing wasn't even real. Maybe she was in her maturation chamber dreaming all this. But that didn't make sense, either. Her neural pathways would be reconstructed to link with the hive mind, so why would she be dreaming about being on a Federation star-ship and married to the First Officer? But, then again, she did experience moments where it felt as if she were dreaming. There were also moments when she would sense a bit of deja-vu, but the strange familiarity was so fleeting that she would dismiss it as a fluke.

The nights weren't any better. She still had nightmares, and was still very uncomfortable with the alcove and still refused to regenerate. Even with the room softly lit, sleep alluded her. She longed for the familiarity of her room on the _Raven_, safe with her family.

One night, Annika was having a particularly difficult time falling asleep when she noticed the elk-skin bag on her nightstand. She'd seen it there before, but never gave it a second look, until now. As insomnia and boredom took over, she picked up the bag, opened it, and dumped the contents out onto her lap.

The first object she picked up was some sort of electronic device. It wasn't a phaser or tricorder. She wasn't sure what it was. Only that it resembled something she had seen Chakotay praying with. He would put his hand on it and it would light up. Then, he would say some strange words and pray. She wasn't sure why he needed this thing to pray, but it seemed important to his ritual.

The second thing she picked up was a thin, flat, metallic disk. It had some sort of threads sticking out in the middle, like it had been sewn onto something. An embellishment from someone's clothing, perhaps?

The third one she recognized right away. It was a Borg synaptic relay. She remembered it from when her parents would examine various Borg components during their expedition.

As she picked up the forth object and looked at it, her heart clenched. It was a resin-encased photograph of her and her parents. She sat there staring at it for several minutes, thinking about them and remembering how safe she had felt with them. As she gazed at the image, anger, loneliness, and resolve flooded her. This crew wasn't going to help her find them, so the only thing for her to do was to look for them herself.

Annika purposefully slipped the photograph into the breast pocket of her pajamas, stuffed the remainder of the objects back into the bag, placed it back on her nightstand and climbed out of bed, security blanket in hand. She was on a shuttle when she first encountered these people, so that would mean they had a shuttle bay. She could make her way there, take one of the shuttles, and head off to search for her parents.

Cautiously, she crept out of the room, careful not to wake Chakotay. The exit was just a few meters away. She only needed to go just a few more steps. Very quiet steps. Almost there...

"Annika?" She spun around to see Chakotay sitting up on the couch, wide awake. "What are you doing up?" he asked, groggily. "Did you need something?"

She was trapped! She stood there, her frozen stare boring into him as her mind raced. What could she possibly tell him? That she was getting a drink of water? No. She could've gotten one in the bathroom. And she knew he wasn't going to help her if she told him the truth.

"Something wrong?" he asked, noticing her unease.

What to do. What to _do_! She had to give him an answer. Looking down at her breast pocket, which contained the photograph, she looked back up at him resolutely and stated, "I'm going to find my parents."

Chakotay sighed heavily, shaking his head. Was she serious? What's gotten into her head, now? He regarded her incredulously as he rose to his feet. "We've discussed this, Annika," he informed her. "We've told you- even your aunt has told you- that finding them wasn't possible."

"You told her to say that," she accused.

"That isn't true," he said as he approached her. "I had no way of communicating with her before you did..."

"No," she snapped. "You're lying!"

"Annika," Chakotay said, trying desperately to keep his exasperation at bay, "believe me, if it were possible, I would help you find them. But, I can't. They're gone..."

"_No!"_ Annika screamed as she threw her blanket into his face and bolted out the door. Chakotay threw the blanket down and started after her.

It didn't take long for his eyes to adjust to the light when he saw her running down the corridor and dashed after her. "Annika," he yelled. "Stop! You can't do this. It's too dangerous!" But, still, she ignored him and kept on running.

Just meters ahead of her, the turbo-lift doors opened and out stepped a pair of security officers making their rounds. "Stop her!" Chakotay yelled at them, hoping they would hear him. His tone and the fact that he was pursuing her was enough to clue them in. They blocked her, then held onto her until Chakotay caught up with them and took her. "Thanks, guys," Chakotay said. "I'll take it from here."

"Aye, sir," they answered respectfully as they moved on.

"Let me go!" Annika yelled repeatedly as she thrashed in Chakotay's grip, her fists flailing at him, striking his arms- his chest- his face!

All the frustration, all the anxiety, the longing, the helplessness, all bubbled up inside him as he struggled to get her under control, until he was at the breaking point, literally shoving her against the bulkhead and yelling into her face. "Stop it! Listen to me. I can't just let you go gallivanting somewhere out there in the galaxy on a wild goose-chase! You could get yourself killed! You think I enjoy seeing you going through all this? Well, I don't! It _kills_ me! If I could find them for you, I would, but I can't! They're gone! You understand? _Gone!"_ But, before he was finished, Annika broke down again, sobbing harder than he had ever heard her. Realizing what he had done, he stood there, frozen and still holding onto her, guilt-ridden.

His eyes wandered down to her breast pocket, and saw that there was something in it. Curious, he pulled it out and saw that it was the family photo from Seven's medicine bundle. His guilt intensified, his eyes welled and burning, Chakotay placed the photograph back into her pocket and held her close as she wept.

"I'm so sorry, Annika," he murmured, soothingly. "It's not you I'm mad at. It's... it's this whole situation. I know It's not your fault. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I just..." His voice trailed off, silently finishing in his already troubled mind; _I miss you, Seven!_

* * *

Janeway was busy going over the previous night's reports when Chakotay entered. "Commander," she addressed, still distracted with her work, "I didn't expect you this early." She looked up, expecting to see him standing in front of her desk as he always did. But, instead, saw him sitting on the couch, head resting on clasped hands, clearly beleaguered. Tentatively, she picked up her coffee and walked over and sat next to him. "I read the security report from last night," she gently told him after a moment.

Chakotay lifted his head and sighed heavily. "Let's just say it's turning into more of a complicated mess than I'd anticipated," he said wearily. "Naomi asked if she could play with Annika after breakfast. I'm actually relieved to have her off my hands for a while." Then, after a brief silence, he looked over at her, resigned. "You tried to warn me, Katheryn."

"About what?" she asked.

"When I first told you about our relationship. You said it wasn't going to be easy; that she might still have to deal with some rather complex situations- malfunctions, and the like." He then turned his eyes across the room and exhaled. "I honestly thought I could handle anything we had to face together, but I didn't foresee anything like this." He then shook his head despairingly before his eyes met hers again. "I'm at a loss, Katheryn. I don't know what else to do." He then rose from his seat and turned to face her as she stood. "I'm finding myself doing the same things with her every day; showing her around the ship, taking her to her work stations in the hope that _something _will jog her memory, but instead she's still going through all this trauma and is still determined to get her parents back."

"You did explain to her that all that happened over twenty years ago?"

"From her perspective, she's only been alive for _six_ years," Chakotay stated. "Time means _nothing_ to her."

"Understood," she said. "So, where do you normally take her?"

"Oh, astrometrics, engineering, sometimes the holo-deck..."

"What about cargo bay two?"

Chakotay was reluctant to answer. He knew what was coming. "Not yet."

"Why not?"

Chakotay took a deep, exasperated breath before answering. "She's still afraid of her own alcove. She still has nightmares..."

"Have you told her anything about how she got here? About the alliance?"

"I told her about when we severed her from the collective."

"And the rest?"

Chakotay answered more defensively this time. "She's not ready."

"Has she asked any questions about it?"

"Well, yes."

"Then she's ready," Janeway stated as she approached him. "I realize your earliest memories of her weren't exactly pleasant, Chakotay. But you seem to be forgetting that our goal here is to help her get her memories back, not just to make her feel at home, even if the process is difficult- even painful." She then looked him dead in the eye and said, "It seems _you're_ the one who isn't ready yet, Commander."

"I just don't see the point in drudging all that up with her," he said.

"For all you know, any of that information could be the piece of the puzzle she needs to bring her memories to the surface."

She did have a point. Perhaps he was withholding some valuable information that would trigger her memories. But did he have to tell her... everything?

Chakotay looked down at her, hands defensively on his hips. "Would you want to tell someone you love- and in the state she's in- that you once made an attempt on their life?"

"_Bridge to Captain," _an ensign's voice sounded over the comm. before Janeway could give Chakotay a reply.

"Go ahead," she answered.

"_The away team has returned. Commander Tuvok is escorting Icheb to sickbay and requested you meet him there."_

"On my way," she closed as she and Chakotay looked at each other in alarm before heading for sickbay.


	9. Chapter 9

"How is he?" Janeway asked as she and Chakotay hurriedly entered sickbay.

"He seemed somewhat disoriented, Captain," Tuvok informed her. "But his memories appear to be intact."

The Captain nodded as Chakotay walked up to the bio-bed where Icheb was sitting and gave his shoulder a fatherly squeeze. "You alright, son?"

"I'm fine, Commander," Icheb assured.

"His cortical implants weren't fully developed when he emerged from his maturation chamber," the Doctor explained. "So, his Borg memory files could record little more that rudimentary data. So, his organic memory functions were only mildly affected, which would account for the disorientation. But his memories- for the most part- are intact."

Chakotay and the Captain let out a sigh of relief as the Doctor continued. "He'll need to regenerate. It should hopefully clear his mind enough for him to return to his duties."

"I'll need to brief the away team on their findings," Janeway pointed out. "How long will Icheb have to regenerate before then?"

"I'd rather we be debriefed first, Captain," Icheb offered.

"I'd feel better if you regenerate first," the Captain stated. "We've waited this long. We can wait a little longer if we have to."

"Has Seven recovered yet?" asked Icheb.

"I'm afraid not," Chakotay answered regretfully.

"Then we should proceed now," Icheb said. "As the Doctor and Commander Tuvok have already told you, my memories are intact, and all relevant data has been documented as well. I don't know if any of it will help Seven; but if there's the slightest possibility, then I'd like us to go over it now."

"Doctor?" Chakotay asked, looking up at him; wanting to get this over with as much as Icheb.

The Doctor regarded them all, pensively. Then, after pondering it over, turned to Icheb. "Four hours, minimum," he instructed. "Then, make sure you program a twelve hour cycle for tonight." Very reluctantly, Icheb nodded in agreement.

It was a reasonable compromise.

* * *

Chakotay informed Annika of the away team's return to _Voyager _and spent time with her, going through the usual routine, hoping for a quick end to their situation. In the meantime, Torres and Kim managed to transfer the data they had jotted down on notepaper to P.A.D.D.s in preparation for their briefing.

Once Icheb had completed his four hour cycle- and after a quick lunch with Annika- Chakotay released her to play some more with Naomi as the Captain summoned the senior officers and away team to the briefing room.

"So, what did you find out?" Janeway inquired Torres, who was standing in front of the wall console, P.A.D.D. in hand.

"Well, for one, it's safe to say we're dealing with a very xenophobic species here, Captain," Torres began. "Apparently, they've taken great measures to make sure they're not discovered."

"Such as?" the Captain prompted.

"We used the same enhancements on the _Flyer's_ sensors that Seven had in her tricorder to scan the grid and see if we could pinpoint its source." Then, Torres turned around and began to press the controls on the console. "Take a look at this, Captain." An image appeared on the screen, one that the Captain already recognized from the previous away mission. It was a schematic of the grid. "As you can see, the pattern includes several points where the lines meet together..."

"Like spokes on a wheel," the Captain recalled.

"Yes," B'elanna said as she continued. "Well, when we zoomed in on one of the pinpoints, we discovered this." She then zoomed the image in until it revealed a circular device which appeared to be emanating beams of energy which, hence, wove into the grid. "We found the same device at every pinpoint."

"We believe those devices are the source of the grid," Tuvok added, "strategically placed all around the sector to create it."

"Impressive," Janeway observed. "Must have taken them years to install those devices. Every one of them would've had to have been placed precisely enough to interact so harmoniously." Then, she decided to move on the next subject. "I don't suppose you were any more successful at making first contact than we were."

"Sorry, Captain," B'elanna answered, shaking he head.

"We did detect a small energy field on the fourth planet about eighty kilometers in diameter," Harry stated. "But, even with the enhancements, we weren't able to penetrate it, nor could we penetrate the casing of the grid's emitters."

"We decided it was best not to attempt to make first contact at this time," Tuvok surmised. "There seemed to be no reason to."

"You don't think they have the answer to what happened to Seven, or the deleted files?" Chakotay asked, perturbed.

"I believe we've already figured that out, Commander," Tuvok answered, motioning to B'elanna.

"We detected a slight variation in composition of the tainted dilythium ore," B'elanna continued. "I also noticed it was actually more accessible than the pure dilythium on any of the planets."

Janeway nodded, knowingly. "I remember. Seven didn't see the point in wasting time mining any more of the tainted dilythium after finding it on the first planet. So, we concentrated our efforts on mining the pure ore."

"Well, I had a theory," B'elanna stated. "So, we took the _Flyer_ back through the grid without the ore and..." she let it hang for a moment before lowering the boom. "Nothing!"

Janeway arched her brow incredulously at her. "Nothing?"

"The memory files all remained intact," Icheb added.

"We then went back to the first planet and beamed aboard samples of the tainted ore," B'elanna continued. "Then, I watched my tricorder readings of the ore as we passed through the grid again and committed what I could to memory." She then turned and pressed the controls again, this time revealing what appeared to be a chemical composition. "This was the end result."

"Magnetic energy," the Captain observed, recognizing the composition.

"A powerful magnetic field was generated for only a few nanoseconds before the files were deleted again," Kim added.

"In other words, the files- all of them- are completely irretrievable," B'elanna concluded before turning apologetically to the First Officer, who was quite clearly disappointed with the news. "I'm so sorry, Chakotay."

Chakotay sighed heavily and said, begrudgingly, "Well, I guess we're back to square one, huh?"

"I'm afraid so, Commander," the Doctor answered.

Then, as B'elanna took her seat, an idea hit Chakotay. "If I could somehow manage to convince her to regenerate, would she be able to obtain enough information from her Borg data node to regain her memories?"

"I'm afraid not, Chakotay," B'elanna answered. "I've examined enough Borg data nodes to know that they only store general data: Sensor logs, spacial coordinates, species designations, and the like. No personal memories..."

"Because the Borg regard personal memories as irrelevant," Chakotay concluded.

"So, where does that leave us now, Doctor," asked Janeway.

"Well, Captain, in spite of the circumstances which caused Seven's condition, we're basically dealing with a classic case of amnesia here," the Doctor explained. "We simply need to find some way to trigger her memories and bring them to the surface."

"If they're still there," Kim added.

"Oh, they're there, Lieutenant," the Doctor stated. "But, they're buried somewhere in her subconscious. Any memories humans acquire are stored in the brain- consciously or subconsciously- for a lifetime, except for the years between conception and around ages two to three years when the memory centers are still developing."

"Ha!" Tom guffawed at Kim. "So much for remembering the womb, Harry!"

"Hey, I remember the womb!" Harry argued, defensively.

"Gentlemen," the Captain sternly addressed, "I suggest you save your debate for later and stick with the subject at hand. You were saying, Doctor?"

"Think of it as a low battery; it has power, but not enough to manifest itself."

"So, are you suggesting we need to jump-start her memories, Doc?" Tom asked

"'Jump-start?'" Janeway asked, puzzled.

"An old twentieth century term from when cars had these huge batteries to power their electrical systems," Tom explained. "If the battery was too low in power to start the engine, jumper cables were hooked to it and the battery in another car to transfer power to the weak battery. Using a cortical stimulator to revive a patient basically uses the same principle."

"So," Janeway said, leaning back in her chair, "how do you jump-start a memory?"

"Memories tied to strong emotions are usually the most accessible," the Doctor explained. "Traumatic memory, for instance."

"If it's all the same to you, Doctor," Chakotay intoned, "I think our patient has been through enough trauma already."

"Regarding the events that lead to her assimilation, as well as her present experiences with us, Commander," the Doctor stated. "She needs to be reminded of emotional experiences she had regarding the years she doesn't remember."

"Forgive me, Doctor, but aren't traumatic memories usually repressed?" Janeway asked.

"As a result of selective amnesia, when the memories are too overwhelming and are forced into the subconscious. Such memories tend to resurface when the patient is confronted with people or experiences related to those events. Presently, from Seven's perspective, she's on a ship full of strangers who are holding her here against her will and keeping her from her family. If you think about it, she experienced the same thing when she initially came aboard, so we at least have that in our favor. If she were reminded of her first few days aboard Voyager, it could help trigger some of her memories. Though I really can't guarantee anything, it might be the best thing we've got to help her recover."

"What exactly are her chances, Doctor?" Chakotay asked. "I mean, aren't there cases where the memory loss is permanent?"

"The brain is a very complex organ, Commander," the Doctor answered. "It's not easy to say, but I think she has as good as chance as any, since there's no brain damage."

"Thank you, Doctor," Janeway said in closing. "I don't see any reason to stick around here any longer. Mr. Paris, resume course for the alpha quadrant."

"Aye, Captain," Tom said obediently.

"Dismissed."

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to return to my duties," Icheb requested to the Captain and Chakotay as the rest of the senior officers left- the Doctor lingering monetarily.

"Aren't you supposed to regenerate?" Chakotay asked.

"He's already had a four hour cycle and should be able to work at least one full shift before turning in," the Doctor answered, confidently.

"Thank you, Doctor," Icheb said before he and the Doctor departed, leaving only Chakotay and the Captain behind.

Janeway rose and tentatively approached him. "I understand your reluctance, Chakotay," she said, "but, she has to be told."

"I know," he said, reluctantly.

They both stood there, unmoving, for a moment before Chakotay took in a deep, determined breath and left.


	10. Chapter 10

_I can do this,_ Chakotay's mind railed, willing himself to tell her the whole ugly truth he had been keeping from her; his heart drumming so hard in his chest it practically hurt. _I can do this. I _have to _do this!_

Naomi's voice interrupted his thoughts, himself only half-aware that he had entered the mess-hall. As expected, she and Annika were engaged in a game of Kadis-Kot. "Green, grid 15-4."

Annika stared hard at the game-board, squinting in concentration. She literally had to relearn how to play, since she never played Kadis-Kot as a child.

Chakotay stood there, watching them for a moment until he inadvertently caught Naomi's eye. "Commander," she said, looking up at him. "Is your meeting over with?"

He nodded. "Looks like you're in the middle of a game..."

"Oh, that's alright, Commander," Naomi chirped as she stood and looked over at Annika. "We'll play again later," she told her.

"Okay," Annika said as she stood and walked over to Chakotay, who then began to escort her out of the mess-hall. "Can we go to the holo-deck now?" she asked him.

Chakotay exhaled nervously as they neared the turbo-lift. "No," he answered. "There's somewhere else I have to take you; somewhere I haven't taken you yet."

"Where?" she asked expectantly, excited about doing something new.

"You'll see," he said resolutely as they entered the turbo-lift.

* * *

Chakotay swallowed hard as he and Annika approached the doors of cargo bay two, his heart hammering in his throat, his stomach churning. He dreaded this. He wasn't sure how she would react to any of this, but he knew it had to be done. Once they enter that cargo bay, there would be no turning back.

Once they reached the doors, he took and deep breath to try and calm himself before warning her. "What I'm about to show you, you may find disturbing. But, there are some things you need to know about your time with us that I haven't told you yet." Then, he looked at her intently and asked, "Are you ready?"

She looked nervously at the doors, then back to him and nodded. Chakotay inhaled, nodding in return, and proceeded to escort her inside.

It took only a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimly lit cargo bay before she saw the row of Borg alcoves along the bulkhead at her right- a sight that rendered her frozen as stone. Chakotay walked up to her, slowly, trying to read her shocked expression as he placed a hand on her shoulder, caressing it.

"You lived here, Annika," he told her gently. "You lived here for five years before we were married."

She spun to face him, her expression intensified. "I... lived _here_?" she asked anxiously. "I didn't have my own quarters?"

"No," he said. "This cargo bay was the one place that most resembled the inside of a Borg ship. It was what you were accustomed to."

Annika looked over at the alcoves again, and then back at him, shaking her head in disbelief. "No," she rasped. "It's not true..."

"It _is_ true," he said. "It was also the reason you kept your designation; because you didn't remember who you were before you were assimilated. The Borg was all you knew."

Annika backed away from him- and the alcoves- staggering, until she found herself leaning against a cargo container. Chakotay gave her a moment to absorb what he had told her so far before approaching her. "I've been avoiding this since you'd lost your memories, because I knew it was going to be difficult on you. And I never told you how you ended up here. But, if you're ever going to get your memories back, I have to tell you the whole story."

Annika looked at him, then over at the alcoves for several seconds, as if trying to make a decision. Then, she let out a deep sigh, turning to him and putting her weight back on her feet, regarding him expectantly.

Chakotay inhaled deeply before he began. "Six years ago, we'd found ourselves in Borg territory. At the time, the Borg were in an armed conflict with an alien race that overpowered them. They classified these aliens as species 8472.

"The Doctor came up with a means of subduing these aliens on a cellular level as a treatment for a crew member who was attacked by one of them. Captain Janeway decided to offer it to the Borg as a weapon against species 8472 in exchange for safe passage through Borg space." Chakotay stopped momentarily, checking her expression, making sure she was still listening. He knew it was a lot of information to take in, and needed to give her time to absorb what he was telling her- piece by piece. This wasn't exactly a bedtime story he was telling her, after all. It was important that he had her undivided attention.

Annika's eyes shifted momentarily before settling back on his again. "So, what happened?" she asked. "Did the Borg listen to her?"

"Yes," Chakotay answered. "After she and Tuvok were beamed aboard a Borg cube, Janeway told them to select a drone to speak on their behalf so they wouldn't link her and Tuvok to the Collective." Then, he stepped closer to her, looking at her more intently. "That drone was you."

"Me?" she asked, clearly surprised.

"Yes, you," Chakotay said. "As you were all working on the weapon, species 8472 attacked out ships. Janeway had already made it clear that if our ship was destroyed, so would the weapons technology. So, you sacrificed your cube to protect _Voyager_, beamed aboard here with the Captain, Tuvok and several drones and assimilated this cargo bay."

"We did?" she asked, wide-eyed

"Yes," he answered. "It actually looked a lot more like the inside of a Borg ship than it does now.

"The Captain was seriously injured and confined to sickbay, leaving me in command, and had ordered me to keep our alliance with you going for as long as it took to get us safely out of Borg space. Unfortunately, you made demands that I thought would be too dangerous for us to meet. That's when I decided to end the alliance."

"Is that when we tried to assimilate the ship?" she asked, clearly disturbed by the prospect.

"No," he answered. "But, you did manage to take _Voyager_ into species 8472's space."

"How?" she asked.

"By taking control of our deflector," he said, wanting to end the story as quickly as possible. "At about that time, the Captain had recovered and took back command of the ship.

"It was decided that we would fight these aliens there in their space with the new weapon. We defeated them and returned to our galaxy. That was when the Collective decided to terminate the alliance and ordered you to take _Voyager_. And, as I had already mentioned, we stopped you and ended up severing you from the Collective."

"But," she began, perplexed, "you said I came aboard with other drones. What happened to them?"

This was it- the moment Chakotay dreaded and had hoped to avoid. How was he supposed to tell her? He was sure she wouldn't take it well. He was tempted to put it off, until the Doctor's words came to him: _It's better to be honest with her now than to lie to her_, he had told him._ Feeling deceived would only add to her anxiety. _The Doctor was right. If Chakotay kept this from her any longer when he had the chance to tell her now, it would likely upset her more if she learned about it later.

Chakotay took another deep breath. _You can do this, _he willed.

"When I had told you I was ending our alliance, you threatened to assimilate _Voyager,_" he stated. "I told you I would depressurize this deck and blow you all out into space if you tried anything. Later, as we prepared to transport you all off the ship, the Collective ordered you to take us into species 8472's territory. You then climbed inside a Jefferies tube where you took control of our deflector. I had ordered you to stop. You wouldn't comply." He inhaled again, trying to keep himself calm as he willed himself to continue. "I had no choice but to carry out my threat." He then moved closed to her, looking her in the eye. "The only thing that saved you was that you had managed to keep yourself lodged inside that Jefferies tube. The rest of the drones were jettisoned."

"Jettisoned?" she asked, not understanding the word, her brow creased in confusion. Chakotay couldn't bring himself to clarify. She had to think for a moment before understanding dawned on her. Slowly, she looked up at him inquisitively. "Blown out into space?" Chakotay could only give her a slight nod in answer.

He watched her expression as she stared at him in stunned disbelief. As the harsh, cruel reality of what he had told her started to sink in, she began to back away from him, slowly, wavering as if she had felt the room spinning.

Chakotay wasn't sure how long it was before she finally spoke. "You... you tried to... to kill me?"

With painful reluctance, he answered simply, "Yes."

Slowly, her posture became more erect; her expression hardened; her eyes glowering. "You tried to _kill_ me!"

"Annika," he said tentatively as he tried to approach her, "please, let me explain..."

"No!" she yelled as she dodged him. "Leave me alone!" And with that, she bolted out of the cargo bay, leaving Chakotay standing there, hoping to the spirits that he had done the right thing.

* * *

Annika ran through the corridor, hot tears streaming down her cheeks, until she realized that Chakotay wasn't pursuing her, and slowed her pace, wiping away her tears. She had to get out of here. She had to get off this ship and find her parents, and go home. Especially if Chakotay- who had been taking care of her all this time- could potentially harm her.

She saw on the bulkhead a display that seemed to map out _Voyager_. She didn't know where the shuttle bay was, and knew that no one on this ship would help her. So, she walked up to the display in hope of finding it there. She knew she was near cargo bay two on deck eight. If she could find that on this thing, perhaps she would have a better idea how to get to the shuttle bay.

"Did you need any help?"

Startled and gasping, Annika turned sharply to see who was addressing her. He was tall and slender, dark complected and strikingly handsome, with thick black hair and eyes as dark as Chakotay's... and so familiar.

A strong sense of deja-vu hit her then; that surreal, dreamlike sensation she had experienced before. Only this time it was stronger than it had ever been. What was it about this officer that caused this sensation? She simply couldn't put her finger on it.

Her plan to leave the ship forgotten- her desire to make sense of what was happening to her intensified- she asked, "Who are you? Do I know you?"

"Why, yes," he answered. "I'm Lieutenant Ayala. I'm part of the security team, and I also work on the bridge."

Annika didn't recall meeting him, but something told her that she had, though she wasn't sure why. The familiarity she was sensing seemed to come and go, like a bird flitting from branch to branch on the same tree.

Wanting to get through this proverbial maze of the familiar and unfamiliar, she pressed on. "How did I meet you?"

Understanding how protective Chakotay was of her, he answered, "I'm afraid it was under rather unpleasant circumstances."

"My husband just told me he once tried to kill me," she stated harshly. "I don't think you could say anything more 'unpleasant' than that!"

Taken aback by her retort, Ayala exhaled and answered, "You tried to contact the Borg. We had to put you in the brig. I was one of the officers assigned to keep an eye on you."

When he had said, _the_ _brig_, another wave seemed to hit her. Was any of this even real? She wasn't sure. But she needed to find out. Faint memories seemed to be at the edge of her mind, but they still felt out of reach.

She inhaled deeply, drumming up the courage to see this through. "Take me to the brig."


	11. Chapter 11

Chakotay sat on a cargo container, staring at the alcoves, thinking about what he had told Annika and hoping he hadn't made a mistake. Sure, he knew she would be upset when he had told her her history and how he had tried to take her life. She couldn't understand that he was only trying to protect his crew. Still, he couldn't help but feel guilty- not just for that act of attempted murder, but also for putting her through this turmoil in the hope that she would recover more quickly.

He heard the cargo bay doors open, but didn't look up to see who it was- too depressed to even care. A figure stood in front of him, obstructing his view.

"I take it it didn't go very well?" Chakotay heard Janeway's voice ask him. He looked up at her with a _no kidding_ expression. "Right," she admitted, "stupid question." He sighed heavily and allowed his gaze to drift again.

"Any idea where she went?" asked Janeway. Chakotay only shook his head in answer. "Shouldn't you be going after her?" she asked as she sat next to him.

After a moment, he answered, "If I do, she'll just run away from me again."

"She's still you're responsibility, Chakotay," Janeway pointedly reminded. "As far as we know, she still thinks like a child. For all you know, she could be..."

"_Ayala to Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay, please come to the brig."_

The Captain and Commander regarded each other in alarm as Janeway hit her comm. badge. "On our way, Lieutenant."

* * *

Annika stood in front of the cell, looking at it curiously. Ayala stood and watched her, apprehensive.

She looked over at him. "Can I go in?"

"Yes," he answered her. "The force-field's down."

Annika stepped inside, looking around intently, drawing quick, sharp gasps as she did so. "I was here," she whispered, her brow creased in concentration as she explored the recesses of her memories of being in that cell. That was when Ayala had discretely hailed Janeway and Chakotay, who hurriedly entered the brig just minutes later.

"It's alright," Ayala assured, intercepting them as they entered before they could reach the cell. "Annika asked me to bring her here so she can take a look. I think she might be remembering something." He then led them over to the cell, but Chakotay kept himself out of Annika's line of vision. Might as well keep the scenario as authentic as possible. And, besides that, he though there was a chance she might still be angry with him.

By this time, Annika was literally pacing the cell. "One," she whispered as Captain Janeway stood in front of it, the way she had when the drone called Seven of Nine had been held here six years prior. "One?" she said again, more questioningly this time, as if unsure why she was saying it.

She stopped short, pensive and motionless, for several seconds. "The voices," she gasped. "I wanted to hear... the voices." She then fell silent once again. Then, slowly, painfully, she began to examine her own body. She ran her fingers along the metal on her cybernetic hand. Then pushed her sleeve up slightly, examining the metal and the scar tissue that embedded it; then, slowly, ran her hand up her sleeve and over her body, gasping. "I'm... I was..." She continued looking over herself for several seconds before speaking again. "Implants... I had implants... all over me!" She held herself, wavering, drawing sharp gasps as she did so. She shook her head profusely in disbelief as her hands wandered up her head and through the blond tresses. "No... no hair," she gasped. "I had... no hair!" Then, she put her arms around herself again and looked at Janeway, eyes glistening. "I was a drone," she whispered hoarsely, overwhelmed by her memories.

Janeway regarded her sympathetically as Annika's gaze wavered. "What else do you remember?" the Captain prompted gently.

Annika began to pace the cell again, drawing more of her characteristically sharp gasps as she relived those moments when she had been kept there. Then, she stopped again, eyes to the floor, tears trickling down her pale cheeks, her breathing, ragged. "My designation... is Seven of Nine... but..." she took sharp, deep breaths before continuing. "I am alone. Without the Borg... without my parents..." The photograph of her family she had found the night before came to her mind as she remembered them. Then, another familiar image flashed in her memory.

She turned shakily to the Captain again. "You showed me a picture... of _me._

"Yes," Janeway confirmed.

Seven's eyes shifted slightly. "I hurt you," she recalled in horror, her eyes riveted on her Captain.

"You were angry, and frightened," Janeway told her. "To you, the Borg were your family- your collective. To you, we were keeping you from the only family you knew. But, we had to keep you here with us, for our safety... and yours."

Seven continued to stare at her, unable to comprehend why she would've wanted to return to the Borg. Sure, she did start to remember- somewhat- her insistent demands to be returned to the collective. But she was still unable to understand why, in spite of what the Captain had told her. Her last clear memories of the Borg were as menacing monsters that had mercilessly taken her and her parents and assimilated them. Why hadn't she wanted to go back to her parents? Why was the Borg the only family- if they could even be called that- that she knew? Had she forgotten her beloved mama and papa? How could that have even been possible?

She then broke her gaze and began to wander around the cell, deep in thought as little by little small recollections were coming to her mind; some of them she really could not quite understand just yet. As she pondered her gradually recovering memories, she descended onto the bench, silent tears trickling as her eyes once again focused on the Captain.

"Is that why you're keeping me here now?" she said, finally. "For my safety? What about my parents? Why didn't I want them? Why did I want the Borg?"

Janeway entered the cell and sat next to her. "Do you remember your parents saying anything about how the Borg reprogram your thinking by taking away all your personal memories, so all you're aware of is the collective consciousness?"

Seven's brow creased in thought as she tried to remember. Her parents had talked about a lot of things that had to do with the Borg. It took a moment before she slowly shook her head. "I couldn't understand everything they talked about, but I do remember them saying how the Borg make people forget things, or something..."

"That's what happened to you, Annika," Janeway explained. "The Borg took away all the memories of your human life, including your memories of your parents. Every aspect of being human had been forgotten: eating; sleeping; playing with friends; all the people you knew, like friends and relatives. The Borg was all you knew."

Annika regarded the Captain incredulously before she continued. "Do you remember when you found yourself on the _Flyer_, and the thing you remembered just before that was when the Borg took you?" She nodded. "It was because the alien technology that Chakotay had mentioned to you took away all the memories you had from the time you were assimilated. Remember?" Another nod. "What the Borg did to you was identical to that; only they took away the memories you had _before_ you were assimilated."

Slowly, gradually, understanding began to dawn on her as her gaze wandered from the Captain and found herself looking into the dark eyes of Chakotay, who was now standing in front of the cell where the Captain had been; his expression, hopeful. She then looked at Janeway once again. "Is that why I lived in the cargo bay? Why I didn't have my own quarters?"

"Yes," Janeway nodded.

Annika then looked over at Chakotay and stood. Chakotay remained where he was, anticipating whether or not Annika had forgiven him; wanting to help her as her memories were slowly returning, hoping she could understand them.

She approached him; only a few steps. Her tear tracks were still clearly visible. Her throat noticeably constricting as she swallowed nervously. She opened her mouth to speak, but it took a moment for her to utter her words.

"I wanna go back to the cargo bay now."

* * *

Seven looked around the cargo bay intently as Chakotay looked on- the Captain having returned to the bridge.

"There were Borg alcoves over there, too," Annika recalled as she pointed somewhere to the middle of the cargo bay. "And..." she continued as she walked in further... "something over here, too. And there were drones here." She then stopped and looked around as the memories became clearer. "It _did_ look just like a Borg ship in here." Then, after a moment, she moved towards the alcoves and stopped in front of the one that had once been hers. After a few seconds of looking it over, she gingerly stepped inside. "I was in here," she remembered as she turned to face outward. "And you..." she extended her arms out to the deck in front of her where Chakotay was now standing, "were down there."

"That's right," Chakotay nodded, trying to contain his excitement. She was remembering. She was _remembering_!

"And then," Annika stepped down from the alcove and began to move to her left, "I walked over here." She stopped in front of a control panel next to another alcove, but didn't push any of the controls. With her eyes riveted, she recalled, "I told you to take me to a Borg ship. You said it was too dangerous."

Chakotay's heart constricted as her recollections conjured up his own unpleasant memories of that day. Back then, she was a menacing drone who was a threat to the ship and he had wanted nothing to do with her; even as far as wanting to get rid of her any way possible; even doubting the Captain's decision to keep her on board after her link to the Collective had been severed. He had left those memories far behind him. It had been a lifetime ago. He had preferred it that way. Still, he couldn't help but be both excited and relieved that her memories were finally returning.

Then, she turned back to her left, walking slowly, pausing every few steps. "The voices," she whispered. "Species 8472... penetrated matrix 010, grid nineteen," she uttered, her voice raised only slightly. "Eight planets, destroyed; three hundred twelve vessels, disabled; 4,000,621 Borg, eliminated." She stood motionless, the color dissipating from her face as the memory became distinctly, horrifyingly clear. With a staggered voice, she continued. "Must cease control of... alpha quadrant vessel... take it into... alien realm." Her gaze slowly lifted and focused on something in the back of the cargo bay, and she tentatively moved forward, Chakotay following.

Seven was only a few meters from the bulkhead when she stopped, fixated. Following her gaze, Chakotay saw that she was staring at the hatch of a Jefferies tube. He watched her face as she stood there, motionless and unspeaking, for what seemed to be a prolonged period of time. Her complexion was so void of color it was near ashen, and she was visibly trembling.

"Is that it, Annika?" Chakotay gently asked, finally breaking the silence. "Is that the Jefferies tube you were in when..." But, he couldn't finish. He swallowed hard, looking at the hatch and then back to her.

She gave a slight, shaky nod as she answered, "The drones opened it for me."

Inhaling deeply in effort to keep his own swelling emotions at bay, Chakotay approached her and caressed her shoulder, offering comfort. "Did you want to go in?" he asked. "You don't have to if you're scared." Seven swallowed with an audible gulp, breathing deeply and steadily to calm herself, drumming up the courage to move forward.

She shook her head, determinedly. "I have to," she said purposefully before looking up at him, signaling him to proceed.


	12. Chapter 12

Seven was almost three meters ahead of Chakotay before he followed her at a crawl into the Jefferies tube. Seven's own crawl was painfully slow, pausing and looking around her. Crawling in here was more cumbersome with all the implants, yet somehow the absence of them didn't seem to make it easier as she recalled now with chilling clarity what she had been doing in here all those years ago.

A few more meters and several tedious minutes later, Seven froze, looking to her left. She then sat down, very slowly, and reached tentatively through horizontal bars to a panel on the other side of them. "This is where I took control of your deflector," she said, pensively. "I heard you ordering us to stop," she recalled as her hand slowly fell from the panel, "but, the Collective ordered me to proceed in spite of you threat. That's when..." she trailed off before looking up at him. Her expression was intense but unreadable. They sat there, silent, for several seconds before Seven spoke again. "I wasn't sure I would survive but... I wasn't scared either." She seemed somewhat perplexed over the absence of fear she had experienced back then. After a moment, her expression became serious again. "And the others were gone," she said.

"The other drones?" Chakotay asked.

She nodded before continuing. "You confronted me about the Borg starting the war with species 8472. And then the Captain recovered and told me you were in the brig. And... there was someone else," she said as she focused hard on the memory. "She was talking with the aliens... "

"Kes," Chakotay offered.

"Yes," Seven confirmed. "And the Borg told me, after we defeated the aliens, to take your ship. And then," she said, looking up at him intently, eyes welling, "I heard your voice... telling me to stop... that you could see my memories. You said you saw a young girl... and her family. You said to listen to... to the little girl." Her breathing became more labored and the tears rolled down as she said, "I couldn't remember who I was... you remembered for me."

Chakotay wasn't sure what to say as she stared at him, face reddened and tear-streaked. After an awkward silence, she pulled her knees close to her chest, huddled in a fetal position as she buried her face in her knees and sobbed. "I couldn't... remember... who I was," she repeated. "I didn't want... to remember. I said it... was... irrelevant." She looked up at him, snuffling, breathing deeply to calm herself. "Why didn't I want... to remember?" she asked, her eyes pleading for an answer.

Chakotay scooted close to her and pulled her into his arms as she buried her face in his shoulder and wept softly. "I don't know," he answered her. "But I'm sure it has something to do with what the Borg did to you." After a moment, he positioned himself to exit the Jefferies tube, holding onto his wife and encouraging her to follow. "Let's get you to sickbay."

* * *

Once the Doctor had examined Seven, he concluded that she was now very much in need to regenerate, especially after having gone nearly two weeks without. He was also expressly pleased with her cognitive progress. Mercifully, Seven had recovered enough of her memories to comply to regenerating without a fuss, and the Doctor was confident that it would also aid in the completion of her recovery.

A week passed and Chakotay couldn't be more anxious for his shift to be over with. Once he had clocked out, he headed quickly to his quarters. Seven would be finished regenerating by now, and he hoped that her recovery would be as successful as the Doctor had predicted.

When he entered, Seven was seated on the couch in her standard issue blue uniform, P.A.D.D. in hand and not seeming to notice him. "Annika?" he addressed, questioningly.

"'Seven of Nine' will suffice," she answered calmly, clearly engrossed in what ever it was she was doing. Chakotay couldn't help but allow a smile to form on his lips. She was back!

He approached her and eased himself onto the couch next to her. "Research?" he asked.

"I'm drafting a letter to my aunt," she answered, her eyes steady on her P.A.D.D. "She did request we keep her apprised of my condition." After about a minute, she stopped, lowered the P.A.D.D. onto her lap and exhaled, looking over at him, briefly and awkwardly. "I decided to give Naomi Wildman my comm. time and send my letter in the next data stream," she explained. "I thought it was only fair."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that," he told her reassuringly. "Have you seen the Doctor yet?" She answered with a single, slight nod as she resumed composing her letter. "Why didn't you have him summon me?" he asked incredulously.

"You were on duty," she answered hurriedly, not looking at him.

"That's never stopped us before," Chakotay said, trying to keep his tone light.

After a moment, Seven stopped again and slowly put the P.A.D.D. down on the coffee table in front of her, folded her hands in her lap and looked awkwardly in front of her, sighing heavily.

"I must have been a terrible burden to you," she said, finally.

"Given what you were experiencing, it was perfectly understandable," Chakotay said in an attempt to put her at ease.

"My behavior was irrational!" she spat out before looking at him, studying his face, which regarded her with empathy and affection.

Chakotay reached over and caressed her shoulder reassuringly. "You were going through a traumatic experience, and in a frame of mind that made it difficult for you to understand your own feelings," he told her. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Seven exhaled sharply. "I am unaccustomed to behaving in such a fashion," she explained.

"You don't say?" Chakotay asked, regarding her mischievously, having experienced at least a little of her 'irrational behavior' in the past.

Seven shrugged. "I hope this experience hasn't discouraged you from wanting to procreate," she said seriously.

Chakotay paused for thought before answering, "I guess I have a better idea what to expect, but, no, I wouldn't say it has." Then, he asked, "So, do you remember everything now, or is your recovery still progressing?"

Seven thought for a moment before answering, "The Doctor is satisfied with my progress and says I can return for duty at any time."

"And about us," Chakotay began, seriously. "How much do you remember?"

"My memories about us are sufficient," Seven replied, smiling sweetly.

"Really?" he asked, smiling in return. "And, what exactly do you remember?"

"Well, I remember, this," she said lightly as she took his hand and interlaced her fingers with his. "And, this," she continued as she lifted her other hand to his cheek and lovingly caressed it. "And, this," she concluded by kissing him tenderly on the mouth.

She felt him tense up, as if unsure how to respond after the experience he'd had with her. She parted from him for the moment. "It's alright, Chakotay," she assured him. "I'm not a little girl any more."

Chakotay gazed into her eyes, the way he had wanted to since their crisis had begun. "I've missed you," he told her, his voice husky with longing.

"I know," she responded in kind as their lips met for a deeper, more passionate kiss as he eagerly engulfed her in his embrace.

* * *

Seven was hoping she would be able to sleep after so many fearful, unsettling nights. But, even as her husband slept soundly next to her, lightly snoring, her mind kept shuffling through memories of her past week's experiences before she had regenerated. Not even her and Chakotay's revelry could ease her mind. Her behavior _had_ been irrational, and she was having difficulty making sense of it. Wasn't there anything she could have done to have made the experience any less difficult? Especially for Chakotay?

As she rolled over, facing the edge of her bed, her enhanced vision caught sight of something lying on the floor. She reached down, picked it up and saw that it was the yellow fleece blanket Chakotay had replicated for her. As she examined it, she noticed that not only did it have Annika's name sewn onto it, but it was somewhat brighter in color than the original, and the boarder was four millimeters wider. Perhaps Chakotay wanted to make sure she didn't think he had actually gotten her blanket from the _Raven_, or maybe the memories he had acquired of it were insufficient for replicating an exact copy. Either way, he did admit it wasn't an exact replica.

She laid there, holding the blanket close to her, just as she had when she was little. She still found comfort in it as she thought about sweet strawberries and bitter leola root; of her family, the Borg, and her husband and crew-mates; of temper tantrums and new discoveries; of brig cells and holo-decks. And, somehow, all the chaos of what had transpired- the various facets of her life- began to fall into place. The events that had shaped her from the little girl she had once been to the extraordinary woman she had become.

As she pondered all these things, a peace settled on her until, at last, she drifted off into peaceful, contented slumber.


End file.
